Dark and Twisted
by DareToDream123
Summary: When the somewhat 'sweet' little girl from Amity, Adrianna, mysteriously transfers to Dauntless on choosing day, everyone things she is on the road to failure. However, she has something to prove. But despite her new strength, there is one other who can still break her down back to the little girl she use to be. Eric. But they have a past together, one that will haunt them. EricxOC
1. Chapter 1

**_Dark and Twisted_**

I always remember the day that my mother died. I will always remember it; the fear, the darkness, the pain and the lies. Everything. I will never forget the Erudite workers that did it. I will never forget the reasons why. I will always remember the way that they looked at my mother; with arrogance, power and malice. I will always remember how they mercilessly accused her with cold, stone eyes. I will always remember the helpless feeling I had, while hidden away from their slaughter. I will always remember that word that they used. Divergent.

* * *

_" No. I know why you're here. I'm innocent... please..." I could hear my mothers footsteps backwards towards the window as she begged for her life. My father was out delivering food to abnegation, leaving me and my mother alone in the house. The Erudite group of people had claimed they were here because of a shortage of food. My mother thought differently - I didn't understand. Now they were here and my mother had told me to hide in the wardrobe- I still couldn't understand why. Why was she begging for her life?_

_" Then you know that Divergent's are a threat to the system, and must be eliminated." The man's voice that replied was ice cold and showed no hint of mercy. My imagination ran wild, thinking up dark stories that my mother use to entertain me with - I imagined him to be broad, muscled and have dark, ruthless eyes._

_" I am not Divergent. I swear. My test results proved Amity... I am no threat, please!" My mother continued begging, her voice growing more and more helpless. " I have a family that need me. They are away and if they come back to see me dead..." She broke off midway._

_" We have reason to believe that you are lying, Darcia Jones. Therefore we must take appropriate actions against you," It was a woman who spoke this time._

_Through the gap in the wardrobe door I could see them. All three of them. They looked like a family; a mother, father and son. Nobody would think any differently. Nobody would think they were out to get my mother. My description of the man was close except that he had dark blue eyes and dark blonde hair. The woman had dark brown hair and she wore glasses - typical erudite. The boy was different. He stood up tall and had purposely widened his stance, trying to look intimidating rather than actually being intimidating like his parents. From his height, he looked around the age of 14 or 15 and he had the same hair as his father but it was floppy and messier. Since he was the furthest away, I couldn't see him as much as his parents. But from my initial judgement, I could tell he wasn't like his parents - he wasn't cold or heartless._

_" You have a son. You know how endearing children are. I have a little girl, she's 10. She will be heartbroken if she gets back and finds her mother gone. Please understand, she needs me like my son needs you." These words almost made me smile. But they didn't, as I already knew that the parents weren't going to listen. What were they going to do to my mother?_

_" My son doesn't need us, he is strong enough on his own. He will one day turn out to be a leader. He will be powerful. He is here to see what happens to people who threaten our system," The father spoke this time._

_" Father I don't want to watch her-" For the first time the boy spoke, his voice was quiet - afraid._

_" Quiet boy!" The father screamed at his son, and I watched as the boy visibly flinched, edging away from his father._

_" Eric, please go and search around the house to check if anyone is hiding in here. This woman is a liar and her husband and daughter may be hiding. Alert us if you find them," His mother spoke much more softly to him, but it still had a hard edge as she ordered him. I froze as the boy began to search. It was obvious he was going to look in here. Luckily, when he looked in here, his mother and father wouldn't be able to see that I was in here. But he would._

_" You won't find anything. I already told you that my family is out delivering food. I have nothing to hide!" My mother continued to protest. The parents continued to watch her in a distant silence, making sure that she didn't escape._

_The boy named Eric searched around the room, looking under beds and chairs and looking around the bathroom. It took him a few minutes to come to the side of the room where I was hiding and I covered my hand over my mouth to hopefully get rid of the sound of my breathing. Soon he came to the wardrobe I was in and I tried to hide myself further into the clothes, but it was no use. I held back a gasp of panic as the boy flung the doors open, only for his eyes to widen as he saw me sat cowering._

_Eric looked lost for words, his eyes looking lost and unsure. We locked eyes. Tears began to run down my cheeks as he watched me, still not saying a word. A frown formed on his face as he watched me shake my head, silently begging him not to reveal that I was here. I mouthed the word ' Please'. He continued to stare at me, before pretending to search through the clothes. I watched him with a confused frown._

_" Boy!" The sound of his fathers voice made me jump and Eric looked down at me with sorry eyes._

_" Yes father?" The boy asked, his tone emotionless but still soft._

_" Did you find anybody?" I held my breath as his father demanded to know. Eric took one final look at me, and forced a small smile to his face before quickly turning back to his father._

_" No father. There is nobody else here." Eric closed the doors to the wardrobe as I mouthed a 'thank you' to him. Closing my eyes in relief, I settled my head against the back wall of the wardrobe, begging for someone to save my mother. I would be no use, they would only hurt me too. I had my eyes closed for a total of a minute, before a familiar scream interrupted my thoughts. Mother. I was tempted to run out and protect her, but I stayed frozen._

_" Typical Divergent. They kill themselves to try and show that they are better than us. At least she is dead and her family will find her crumpled up underneath there window." The father explained to Eric. My mother. She killed herself... She jumped from a window. My heart raced rapidly against my chest as I held back a sob and tried to comprehend what had happened. My mother had committed suicide._

_" Lets go before someone finds us." The mother suggested. With a smirk, the father patted Eric's back and Eric flinched away from his touch making me wonder why. As the family exited the room leaving me to mourn, Eric looked worriedly back at the wardrobe, before leaving without another word._

_My mother was dead. I did nothing to stop it. It was my fault._

I awoke with a start. Just like I always did at least once a week. The memories of my mothers death haunted me. I remember that after that night I sat in the wardrobe until my father came home since I was too afraid to come back out. By then I was malnourished and dehydrated, smelling of sweat and salt from my endless tears. My father had been distraught and it had taken him a long time to recover from my mothers death. I hadn't yet recovered as I never would. It's your fault.

Everyday I was reminded that I did nothing to help save my mother. All I did was sit in a wardrobe and hide. I did nothing to save my mother, which is why I didn't deserve to be shown kindness by the boy who protected me. I should have died along with my mother for my cowardice. There was nothing more that I wanted than to be brave. I needed to prove to myself that if the time came again where someone I loved was in danger, that I would protect them rather than cower away. There was only one way to prove that. Dauntless. 

* * *

So this is my first ever Divergent story! I've read one's before and I wanted to make mine as unique as possible, so I think this was a good way to start. Obviously this has Eric as a much younger child and his parents are both my own characters as I haven't read Veronica Roth's 'Four' series yet, and I don't actually know if it explains anything about a younger Eric or his past. Please tell me if it does!

Anyway, I hope you like this introduction to the story and the majority of my chapters will be longer than this. Thank you for reading if you have! Please review and tell me what you think!

-DareToDream


	2. Chapter 2

**_The Aptitude Test_**

Today was the day that every 16 year old in our land prepared themselves for. The aptitude test; a test that would determine which faction you belonged in. The faction that I had been born and raised in was Amity. Here, we farm and live in peace and harmony. We never fight. We never argue. There is only tranquility. Those who break our serenity continually, become factionless. We have few rules as they are never needed.

Rule 1. If you break our peace continually then it will be agreed that you will live factionless  
Rule 2. We must all live in harmony with no leader.  
Rule 3. We must all try our best to work hard to harvest food for all factions.

These are the rules I'd been forced to live by since I was a little girl. Rule no. 1 was a rule that was told to me again and again by my father after my mothers horrific suicide. I didn't hate it here, but Amity was definitely not my preferred faction. Everything was too quiet and boring. Everyone repeated the same thing everyday; work, family, dance, sing, sleep. This had aggravated me ever since my mother killed herself 6 years ago. Everything aggravated me now a days. I wanted out of here. The single thing that was keeping me here was my father, but he'd spiraled out of control years ago and he was now practically dull and lifeless. I felt a need to care for him and look after him. Yet I didn't want him to hold me back. It was his choice that he was moping around all the time. The main rule in our land was ' Faction before blood'.

" Morning, Dad. Are you skipping work again?" I greeted him in a controlled tone, wearing a loose red top with yellow pants. Usually in Amity I was forced to always wear a skirt since girls were supposed to. But today was an exception for the rule since it was the Aptitude test.

" Mm. Good luck today Adrianna." Was all her father said, staring blankly at his drawings in front of him and not even bothering to look at her. Art was something her father had immersed himself in a few months after my mothers death. He loved his art more than me, Adrianna Jones.

I exited our apartment without another word. My father made it obvious that he cared for nothing but art. So I did the same. I loved nothing but the thought of being brave - different.

Like any normal day, me and all the other Amity children sat in the back of a few large food trucks as volunteers drove us to school in the main part of the city. As always, I didn't speak to anyone and instead stared blankly at the boring trees and fields that surrounded our compound. Everyone else eagerly chatted among themselves and everyone my age avidly discussed what they thought the aptitude test was going to be like. Personally, I didn't care. This was because I knew well that my results were going to be Amity. They weren't going to be Abnegation. They weren't going to be Candor. They weren't going to be Erudite. I'd thought about this long and hard since my mothers death. I was either Divergent or Dauntless. One or the other. And I hoped to god that I was Dauntless...

Eagerly, with a smile on my face, I watched as the Dauntless children all launched themselves off of the moving train before sprinting wildly down to the entrance. It appeared that none of them had a single care in the world. They were wild, daring and fun. It's what I wanted to be. To feel that feel that exhilaration every day is what I wanted. It seemed a thousand times better than what I was going through now; having to live in the same apartment that her mother had committed suicide in.

The truck that delivered all of my faction, pulled up closely to the main entrance; a.k.a. the boring way of doing things. With a deep and slightly anxious sigh, I jumped off of the truck. It was the only daring thing I would be doing until Choosing Day. As soon as me and the rest of the 16 year old were through the main entrance, a Dauntless woman wearing a full black attire, lead us through to the waiting area where we would be called upon to take the test.

The wait was incredibly boring, as I did nothing and spoke to nobody. Though all the factions were grouped together, so I spent my time studying the Dauntless. Each of them wore all black and no other colour. What was different with them, however, was that they didn't have tattoos or piercings like their parents. I believed this was probably down to the fact that they wouldn't necessarily be staying in Dauntless for the rest of their lives. It was funny to watch how they seemed very irritable and bouncy while they sat, as if they all wanted to just get up and start running again.

" Adrianna Jones!" I heard my name called by the Dauntless woman who'd originally lead us through into the waiting room. As I approached, she didn't smile or even comprehend that I was here. Instead, she turned her back on me and silently lead me through into an unknown room.

The room was fairly empty; all that was in it was a long seat that looked like a dentist chair, quite a few bits of machinery that I'd never seen before and wires. Lots and lots of wires. I looked around warily, slightly unnerved by the very claustrophobic feeling the room gave off. It wasn't very big, and the grey, metal-like walls, floor and ceiling gave it an even more compact feel.

" Must be strange for you, this room? Aren't you Amity use to white everything? Or bright things?" A Dauntless man, who looked too friendly to ever be classed as Dauntless, spoke with a teasing voice. A frown formed on my face as I heard this, and I sat down, glaring at the man.

" I best get use to it then." I snapped back, slightly angered by his comment. The only thing I didn't like about Dauntless people was their arrogance. Then again, I didn't have a lack of it.

" Woah. Came it down, Amity. Aren't you suppose to be peaceful and dreamy or something?" The guy joked again while typing things onto the computer in front of him.

" Are you this nice to everyone you meet?" I asked sarcastically. Maybe this response would prove to him that I don't belong there. I never have.

" Wow, you really are something else. Adrianna right?" I nodded at his question. " The name doesn't suit you. With comments like that you belong with me. I'm Carl," Carl's attire, tattoos and piercings fit Dauntless perfectly - he was practically covered in dark tattoos and strange piercings. However, his face didn't suit. He facial features were much softer and he spoke with no filter, saying everything on his mind. _Candor. _He must have been a faction transfer.

" I wouldn't really like to go anywhere with you, thanks. So offer rejected," Carl faked a feign look of hurt at my comment.

" Ouch. That really hurt, Adrianna." From the desk which the machinery sat on, Carl picked up a small glass of a strange blue liquid, passing it to me. I stared at him distrustfully, not quite knowing what to do.

" What's this?" I asked, not knowing whether this was part of the Aptitude test or not. Had the conversation been part of it?

" It's a serum. Once you drink it, you can take the test. Lets get you out of Amity and into your true home," In a strange way, Carl was turning out to be quite nice and he wasn't actually that bad looking. At most, he looked around 4 years older than her. Who knows? Maybe they could be friends.

" Fine. But if I die because of this I'm haunting you from hell," I threatened, eyeing Carl's reaction. He only laughed at me, studying me carefully while I downed the serum in one, coughing a little as it burned my throat. It tasted funny, metallic almost.

" All of you Amity go to heaven. Trust me, heaven wouldn't reject a pretty face like yours. Especially with all your peace crap," Carl commented.

" Haven't we already concluded that I don't belong in Amity?" I asked in an annoyed tone. The teasing thing was beginning to get annoying.

" Well we'll soon see..." I could feel myself beginning to drift off as I heard this words, and my eyes began to droop. Laying back on the bed, I came up with a comeback for Carl, but I was unable to speak as the darkness of sleep consumed me.

I soon woke again in a strange room - even stranger than the test room. This room was filled with mirrors, meaning that everywhere I looked all I could see was bright clothing, steel grey floors and my confused expression. Knowing full well that I was now officially taking the Aptitude Test, I looked around for a moment, preparing myself mentally.

" Choose." The voice made me jump. Spinning around on my feet, I saw two stands in front of me. On top of one stand stood some cheese, and on another sat a knife. The person who spoke was me. One of the many me's who faced me in the mirrors.

" Why do I need to choose? Can't I just take both?" I asked, not liking the fact that I didn't know why I needed to choose.

" Choose now, or have nothing." My voice said in a dark tone that I'd never heard myself use before. This was turning out to be strange already. Who even came up with this test?

" Fine, the knife then." I picked up the knife quickly, and the me in the mirror smiled before she and the cheese disappeared. Standing impatiently, and patting my leg for something to do, I stood looking around again. Waiting. A growl interrupted me, just like the voice had before, and my eyes widened as I spotted an angered dog looking at me as if I was something to eat. Looking down at the knife, I frowned. Maybe it thought that I was going to attack it, which is why it was going to attack me...

" I'm not going to hurt you, doggy... So please don't hurt me..." I told the dog calmly, as it edged closer towards me, his stance in an attacking position. As it watched me, I carefully lowered the knife to the floor. The dog continued forward, still staring at me. However, I held my hand out gently. Once the dog was close enough to me, it's growling ceased and it placed its head in my hand, panting affectionately.

" That's a good boy..." I told the dog with a smile.

" Doggy!" A little girl came running up to the dog, her eyes bright and frantic with excitement. The dog turned, glaring at the girl who was running up to it. The growling began again and the dog moved away, its stance changing back to its original. Somehow, the little girl seemed oblivious to the dogs mood change.

" No!" I shouted at the little girl, but she blatantly ignored me. As the dog picked up its speed, I swiftly scooped the knife up into my head and leaped forward, catching the dog around the waist and using my knife to stab it in the heart. A heart-crushing wine escaped its mouth as the life left its eyes and his body fell limp in my arms. Looking back up at the girl, I frowned as she started to cry, touching the dog affectionately.

" You killed my doggy!" She shouted at me. Just as I was about to reply, the scene blackened and I was suddenly stood on a bus. A man with a few tattoos and piercings and graying hair approached me. Not wanting to look like I was intimated by him, I stood tall, my stance wide and eyes hard.

" Have you seen this man?" I looked at the man the guy was pointing too in the picture, and my gut instincts told me that I did. But my fear was beginning to rise; fear for my own life. Somehow and for some reason I knew that if I told this man that I knew who he was, then something would happen to me.

" I have no idea who he is," I lied smoothly, keeping my eyes firmly on the person so he'd believe I was telling the truth. An angered look grew on the mans face and he approached me, standing tall over me. I still stood my place, refusing to be intimidated by him.

" Yes you do! Tell me who it is or I'll-" The man broke off as I interrupted him in an annoyed tone.

" You'll what?" I growled, shoving him hard and away from me. The man gaped at me in shock, and just as he was about to get back up the scene turned black again, sending me into a confused state of mind. What the hell had just happened?

I awoke with a gasp, blinking my eyes fast as they adjusted to the new light. Hearing the frantic tap of keys on the computer, my head snapped sideways to look at Carl.

" So, what's my result?" I asked calmly, hurriedly steadying my breathing down and sitting up on the chair. That test had been extremely strange. From what I'd done instinctively, I could tell that if anything I was Dauntless. After all I did kill the dog and attack a guy, right?

Carl turned to me with a worried and grave expression. " Your test was inconclusive. You have no result." Shit. I thought to myself. That only meant one thing... The one thing she'd hoped desperately not to be. No good came for her mother out of it. Now she had to deal with it too.

" By the looks of things, you know what I'm talking about," Carl's voice was softer now, much more sympathetic than his light, jokey one before.

" Divergent." I said, unimpressed. " It has a history in my family. Some crazy Erudites got involved. Let's just say, the story doesn't end well."

" You can't repeat this to anyone. Not to your family. No one." Carl ordered, his face deadly serious. " As you know, Divergents are known to be a threat to the system. In the test, when you asked why you were choosing it proved you had qualities of Erudite. But then you chose the knife, which means Dauntless. Then when the dog attacked you, you tamed it with a peaceful approach, meaning Amity. And it doesn't end there, since you then attacked the dog meaning Dauntless again, but also abnegation since you did it to save the girl. The only one you didn't get was Candor, since you lied to the man."

" Great. That's just what I needed." I grumbled enthusiastically. I should have known that what I was doing was very mixed and not decisive. I should have stopped myself.

" In the system, I put yourself down as being Dauntless since that it the Faction result you received most in the test. However, Dauntless can be a hard place to hide your divergence. Then again, you clearly don't belong in Amity, you aren't Candor and you hate Erudite. A quiet abnegation life clearly won't suit you. You have a lot to think about, Adrianna." Great. I thought to myself, holding back from rolling my eyes.

" Well thanks for that great amount of help. I definitely owe you." I responded sarcastically, furiously pushing myself up from the chair and storming towards the door.

" Get some sleep and remember, once you decide there's no going back."

However, my decision was already made. I knew which faction I was going to. It was time to prove myself. For the first time in my life, it was time to be brave rather than cower away. Dauntless. That is where my new home was. That is where I will now live.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Choosing Day**_

Finally, the day had come. The day had come where I would finally be free of my monotonous agenda and I would finally get to join the Dauntless. There I would learn to be brave and strong. It was the place where I could learn to be able to protect myself. The place where I wouldn't be constantly reminded of my mother everywhere I turn. But also a place where I would be reminded of how I could have saved my mother from the smart but non-fighting Erudite family.

Leaving my naturally light brown hair free and untamed, I washed my face and body, not bothering to apply any make up but a light touch of mascara. Make up was highly discouraged in Amity as people claimed that everyone's natural selves were perfect and that harsh chemicals like that ruined us. Like everything else that Amity believed in, I laughed and ignored it. I knew that this would be my last hour or so in Amity, so I didn't bother forcing myself to wear a skirt, and instead I wore a similar attire to what I wore on Test day. With a gleeful and giddy expression, I left my bedroom. The only thing I took with me was the locket bracelet with my mothers picture inside that forever rested on my right wrist. That was the only thing I wanted to keep.

" Morning, Daddy." This was the last time I would probably ever see him - unless of course by some miracle he decided to come see me on visiting day. Desperately, I wanted him to notice the fact that I'd called him Daddy, rather than dad. But he didn't even look up from his painting.

" It's choosing day today, are you coming with me?" I despised the hope in my tone, but I couldn't help it. The one person I wanted there with me was him. I wanted his attention, his love and his support; like any normal parent would give. It always felt to me as if I was living in a house with a mechanical, artistic robot.

" I'm painting." Was my dad's response, my hope of having a normal parent crumbling at his words. " I'll see you tonight so you can make dinner."

How on earth was my dad going to look after himself without me? Ever since mum had died, I'd looked after him; I'd made tea, cleaned, washed up and even laid out fresh clothes for him. Now what was he going to do? I quickly diminished these worries. It annoyed me that he expected that I was coming back tonight. It just proved that he knew nothing about me anymore.

" I love you daddy," Were the next words I found myself saying softly, approaching him cautiously and hugging him from behind. He instantly tensed at my touch and wriggled out of my grasp, going back to painting. This very gesture was want made me no longer care. Unfortunately, though, all children had unconditional love for their parents, so even though I want to hate him, I still care.

" I'll see you tonight." My dad repeated, as I backed away from him with a hurt expression. Hurriedly, I headed for the door and ran from the apartment down to the farmers truck where I would be taken to the stage where the choosing ceremony took place - in the same building that the Aptitude test was taken in. Every other Amity child sat bubbly with their parents, each of them chatting serenely. These were the times where I wished I had my family back...

The journey seemed to drag by, as all I did was watch the boring all trees again. My imagination ran wild, imagining what the Dauntless compound would be like, what was built there, how they trained us to be brave and strong. I'd always been an average height; neither horrendously tall or a cute small. Despite the healthy fruit and veg we always ate at Amity, I still had fairly decent muscles from the farming we'd been taught since we were young. I didn't look completely fragile - I hoped anyway. My weight had always been higher than the others in my class, so this meant I wasn't as easy to beat in a fight? Right?

My worries about being too fragile continued until I was sat among the other Amity children and their families in the large theatre area. Everyone were sectioned into their own factions. Abnegation at the far left, Candor next, Dauntless in the middle, Erudite next and Amity on the far right. In the centre of the stage stood the 5 bowls, one for each faction. The sizzling coals was the one that I planned to choose.

To begin the ceremony, the leader of our city stepped up from his seat with the abnegation. The man, who I believed to be named Marcus Eaton, wore typical, grey abnegation clothing and stood in the center of the stage with a polite smile on his face. I listened begrudgingly to the boring speech Marcus gave about the history of the choosing ceremony and why which faction we chose wasn't important. By the time I was ready to fall asleep, he began to call out names. All of the names were in alphabetical order, meaning I had to wait a long time for my name to be called.

" Adrianna Jones!" All eyes were on me as I stepped up from my seat, my face wiped of emotion. Amity people stared with frowns as they realized that I was on my own, but I did my best to ignore them. Making my way to center stage, I avoided Marcus' beaming eyes and took the knife out of his hand, cutting my palm like everyone else did. This year there had been very few transfer initiates. Thankfully, however, I wasn't the first.

Once I'd successfully drawn blood, I stared at the 5 bowls for a second before determinedly hovering my hand over the sizzling coals, allowing a drop of blood to spill on them. Gasps and whispers echoed around the room as I made my way over to Dauntless, where some of them cheered as I sat down. I chose at this point to wipe all of my thoughts of family out of my mind and switch my mind off for the rest of the ceremony.

It turned out there were a lot more of us that trasferred to Dauntless than I expected. Even someone from abnegation transferred. As soon as it was all over, the Dauntless stood with energetic expressions, sprinting up the stairs to the door. Eagerly, I followed with the abnegation girl behind me. I paused at the top of the stairs, watching with bright eyes as I saw them sprint down corridor, hooting with joy.

" What's your name?" The abnegation girl asked, stopping beside me politely.

" Adrianna. Yours?" I replied simply, smiling at the girl kindly. The girl was a few inches smaller than me and thinner. She didn't look like someone who could ever win a fight. But if her results had been Dauntless then the girl obviously had something to prove, just like I did.

" Beatrice. Shall we run?" Beatrice asked with her eyebrows raised expectantly. I couldn't help but grin.

" Hell yeah!" I shouted, leaping forward off of my feet with Beatrice following behind. Soon we were both entangled in the sprinting Dauntless crowd, running out of the building towards the oncoming train. I was in front of Beatrice, but not by far. My lungs and limbs were burning, but the exhilaration of sprinting for so long for the first time in my life was enough to keep me coming.

" Are they jumping onto a moving train?" Beatrice asked, panting deeply for breath as her eyes widened.

" Looks like it," I answered with a simple shrug. Easily enough, I followed the rest of the Dauntless, watching them closely as they each threw themselves to grab the handle before swinging themselves onto the train. With half an idea what to do, when it came to my turn I did this same, using all the strength I could muster to throw myself forward. My eyes brightened as I gripped onto the handle, swinging my foot onto the floor of the carriage. However, my Amity shoes hadn't been made for running, and as I attempted to use my foot to propel myself onto the train, I slipped.

Letting out a shriek of shock, I tried to grab onto anything in front. In an instant, a hand grabbed onto my arm firmly and easily pulled my full body up onto the train. In shock, I stumbled forward into the persons hard chest and breathed for a moment, my eyes blinking rapidly. After a few seconds I realized how to close to the person I actually was, so I quickly moved away with bright red cheeks as he let go of my arm.

" Thanks." I looked up to meet steel grey eyes and an emotionless expression. The man had swept back, light blonde hair that was shaved at both sides, hard features, tattoos on both his arms and neck, and a piercing above his eyebrow and in his left ear. Somehow, he seemed familiar. But I brushed this feeling away and quickly tried to hide my embarrassment.

" Don't expect anyone to do that again." The man stated firmly, looking down at me with confused eyes but an almost angry expression. I was perplexed by his mix of emotions. " We don't give second chances here, so don't let that happen again." The man stalked off without another word leaving me puzzled. I watched him as he left, thinking hard of where I knew him from. Even his voice sounded familiar...

" Er, excuse me, did you get on the wrong train? You know this is for Dauntless right? Peace keepers like you aren't meant for here." I looked up with a hard gaze to meet a tall, broadly built boy with dark hair and arrogant eyes. Already I knew he was one to watch out for.

" And Candor's are welcome here? I don't think telling the truth will win you a fight. Your smart ass mouth might just get you even more hurt." I glared at the boy angrily, not liking his attitude. Wow, I was starting to sound like I belonged here already. Should it scare me that this comes so easily to me? It felt nice to finally release all the comments I'd kept stored in my brain since I was born.

" Wow, ditsy. You've got some guts. I just hope you're as dirty as your mouth." The boy winked at me and I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

" I guess you'll never know. You're not really my type, or anyone's for that matter." Beatrice giggled from next to me and so did another girl, who was also dressed in Candor clothing.

" I think you just got owned, Peter." The other Candor girl smirked. Peter. That was a name I knew I wouldn't forget.

" Shut it, Christina." Peter snapped back, glaring at her. Turning my back on Peter, I smirked at both Christina and Beatrice who were now stood together, introducing themselves.

" You." Christina turned to me, smirking back. " I like you already. What's your name?"

" Adrianna. I already know yours, Christina." I replied.

" If you keep those smart come backs up, I'm sure we'll be friends for life. Watching Peter's expression when you insulted him was so funny!" Christina commented, giggling as Peter turned to glare at her yet again.

" Well there's a lot more where that came from." For a few minutes, me and Christina talked eagerly while Beatrice added comments in every now and again. Soon, though, we were all concentrating as we heard someone shout to us to get ready.

" Wait, are they jumping?" Beatrice asked. Looking out the window, I saw the Dauntless throwing themselves off of the train and landing cleanly on the roof, before running off towards the center.

" Now this is what I call fun," I said to Christina and Beatrice, my eyes wide with glee as I watched others near me jump off when it came to there turn. Knowing it was me next and that Christina and Beatrice were never going to go before me, I stood back. When the time came, I sprinted forward and threw my whole body forward, using all the strength I had. The adrenaline that came with flying through the air was amazing and one that I knew I would definitely want to feel again soon.

" Wooo!" I shouted as I landed with a thud onto the pebbly ground, wincing slightly as it dug into my skin. Standing up with a large grin, I brushed away the pebbles and watched at both Christina and Beatrice flew threw the air, hand in hand, before landing like I did. Somehow I knew that I was definitely going to be friends with them - especially Christina. Each of us still beamed with exhilaration as we followed forwards to where the rest of the crowd were huddled together.

I'd done it. I'd passed two of the very first Dauntless tests. This is what it felt like to be Dauntless. I wouldn't change it for the world. 


	4. Chapter 4

_**Dauntless**_

The man who had earlier helped me onto the train before I fell, stood on the wall that surrounded the outskirts of the rooftop. I could see him more clearly now and now that I could study him clearly, I concluded that I definitely knew him. There was just something about him that was so familiar, I just couldn't quite pinpoint what it actually was.

" Hey, listen up!" The chattering died down as the man spoke with obvious authority. Pacing up and down the wall impatiently as he waited, he stood watching over us all with a hard, intimidating gaze. He stood tall and widely, making himself look broader. A technique that was often used to make yourself look more intimidating. I'd seen it been used too many times to find it effective anymore. But clearly everyone else did as silence soon fell over the crowd.

" My name is Eric." I froze. _Eric. _I knew that name well. It was the only name I remembered from that night. Surely that's why I recognized him so well. This Eric in front of me had the same grey eyes, the same yet older looking hard, dominant features and the same blonde hair, it was just styled differently. If it was the Eric that had saved me that day, then it would explain why I didn't find him intimidating like everyone else. But why wasn't Eric still in Erudite? What had happened to his murderer parents? " I am one of the Dauntless leaders." A dauntless leader. Wow. The boy who saved my life had come far.

" If you want to enter Dauntless, this is the way in." Eric gestured to the side of the roof. I instantly knew that it meant we had to jump. Jumping of a very high building and not knowing what you're going to hit? Very Dauntless-like. " And if you don't have the guts to do it, then you don't belong here." That was definitely not an option for me.

" We just jumped and they're making us jump again?" Christina grumbled to both me and Beatrice. Others around us were whispering to each other as well, while some people shifted uncomfortably.

" Looks like it." I replied simply, looking back up at Eric who, for some reason, had his eyes on me. His eyes held the same confusion they had before, and I wondered again if he recognized me too. I wondered if he remembered who I actually was.

" Is there water at the bottom?" Eric's eyes moved over to a boy with a sophisticated voice who was dressed in Erudite uniform.

" I'll guess you'll have to see." Was Eric's only answer. Murmurs erupted from the crowd yet again.

" Well, someone's got to jump first. Who's it going to be?" Eric asked, his eyes going back to scanning the crowd as silence fell, all of the whispers having died down. The thought of jumping off of a building seemed ridiculous and idiotic but fun. Obviously there was something that was going to catch you at the bottom. So why was everyone so afraid? Heights had never been a problem for me. My only fear was falling, just like my mother had. But how can I ever overcome a fear if I never face it?

" I'll do it." Just as I shouted this to get Eric's attention, Beatrice repeated this at the same time. All eyes turned to the two of us and we looked at each other for a second, before both heading forward.

" A stiff and an Amity. This has to be a first," Eric smirked at the two of us, his eyes studying me then Beatrice. " Well since you both volunteered, decide between you which goes first." He ordered.

" You go. You have more to prove than I do." I spoke to Beatrice in a low voice so the crowd couldn't hear. Eric obviously heard me though and gazed at me with a frown, wondering why I'd said that. However, he didn't question me and instead turned to watch Beatrice.

" Woo! Take it off Stiff!" I recognized Peter's voice instantly and glared at him. Beatrice had been taking off her jacket while he'd said this, and once she had thrown it back to me, he spoke again. " Maybe not..." I was right in thinking that me and Peter would never be friends.

" Haven't I already warned you to shut your smart ass mouth Candor? Just because all of the other girls let you down doesn't mean you have to flirt with the stiff!" I shouted, without thinking, at him. A few giggles erupted from the crowd and Peter didn't speak another word. When I turned back to Beatrice, I spotted Eric smirking at my comment and Beatrice giving me a thankful smile.

" Are you jumping or not?" Eric demanded in an impatient tone, his tone turning colder than before. Taking a final look back and a deep breath, Beatrice jumped from edge of the roof without a single scream of fear. " A stiff the first jumper, you should all be put to shame! Amity, your up."

Without looking at Eric, who I could feel was watching me curiously, I stepped forward and up to the ledge. Suddenly, though, I was stopped briefly by a hand that clamped down on my shoulder. The touch surprised me and I turned with wide eyes to face Eric, ignoring the tingling feeling on my shoulder.

" You missed your chance to prove that you're not just a little innocent girl from Amity," Eric stated, tilting his head to the side curiously. I shrugged nonchalantly.

" I've proved that I won't cower away from a shouting match. Now I can prove than I'm braver than the rest." I replied, knowing exactly what I was going to do. Facing a fear obviously scared me. But the thing that scared me most was looking down and seeing how far there was to go. There was only one way to solve this problem.

Eric watched closely as I climbed up onto the ledge, and turned to face the crowd instead of the hole at the bottom. Everyone seemed confused as I did this. As to prove myself even more, I sarcastically at Peter before jumping off of the ledge backwards. I let out a hoot of surprise and adrenaline, hiding the fear that was now stabbing my body over and over again as I fell faster and faster. Closing my eyes, I switched my mind off from the fear. I let out a slightly pained gasp as I bounced off of, what felt to be a net at the bottom, and ricocheted back up a few meters in the air before landing.

" An amity? Is this some kind of joke? First it's the stiff, now its this." A tall, tanned male looked at me with an amused smirk, before helping me off of the net.

" Great, I'm a joke to you." I rolled my eyes at him, smoothing my messy hair down onto my head. It was probably stupid of me that I didn't decide to tie it up like most of the other girls had.

" What's your name?" The man who asked didn't look much older than me. He had tanned skin, softer brown eyes, short dark hair and a muscly build. A broad, strong build was turning out to be a rather big trend in Dauntless.

" Um..." Adrianna seemed too girly for here. Too Amity like. Plus my mind was still on overdrive from the adrenaline now pumping through my body, meaning that I wasn't thinking straight.

" Another who doesn't even know there own name. If you don't know, choose one. It's really not that hard." The man said, obviously exasperated. Had Beatrice changed her name too? Efficiently, I thought up a few alternative names, not wanting to annoy another person here. Dria? Anna? Rianna? _Rianna. _That sounded much more Dauntless-like. A name that wasn't too far off my own.

" Rianna. My name's Rianna." I stated clearly, finally taking control of my breathing again.

" Second jumper, Rianna!" The man called out to someone who was writing it all down. " Welcome to Dauntless. Go join Tris over there and wait for the others." Beatrice had obviously changed her name to Tris. Personally I liked it.

" Hey _Tris. _Nice to meet the new you. The name suits you." I emphasized on her name and she giggled at me.

" Rianna suits you too." She said back quite sweetly. What was difficult with Tris was the fact that she seemed so innocent and shy. That was the complete opposite to me. Ever since my mother's death I'd been a changed person; I was much more confident, sarcastic, irritable. All of the traits that weren't welcome in Amity. It was like my mother had taken my Amity traits with her to the grave. Seeing Eric today had already brought back up old memories that weren't welcome in my mind...

Me and Tris continued to chat casually while waiting for the others to jump. One by one they all seemed to arrive, all with the same expression of adrenaline that me and Tris had when we came down. Now that I had chance to look around properly, the Dauntless compound was like one big cave. The walls and flooring were similar to the ones in the Aptitude test room, but it didn't feel as claustrophobic since the ceiling was extremely tall and the main areas were all very open spaced.

" Gather round!" The guy who had been helping people off of the net and calling out the initiates names, shouted to everyone. " Dauntless born go with Lauren, the rest of you come with me." Everyone was silent and did as they were told. Me, Tris and Christina, who had rejoined us, followed the guy a little way down the corridor, close to where Eric was standing.

" My name is Four! Usually I work down in intelligence, but for now I will be training you all." Four announced in an authoritative tone. For some reason he didn't seem as Dauntless as the rest. I could tell there was a soft side to him - I could practically sense it.

" Four, like the number?" Christina smirked. Anyone could tell she'd just transferred Candor.

" Exactly like the number,"

" What happened? One, two and three were taken?" Four did not look pleased and I held back my smirk, knowing it would get me into trouble too. I didn't want to make enemies with our instructor on the first day.

" What's your name?" Four questioned, his eyes darkening.

" Christina."

Four walked up to Christina, and looked down at her with angry eyes. " The first lesson you learn from me... if you want to survive here, keep your damn mouth shut. Understood?" Christina nodded, the smirk having been wiped from her face. " Follow me." Four turned back to us all, before heading off towards the exit from the entrance.

Four, followed by me, all the other transfer initiates and an onlooking Eric, gave us a tour around the Dauntless compound. All of the Dauntless Compound had very similar decoration; everything was grey. It matched the black clothing I guess. The first main area that Four showed us was a large open space where lots of chatter erupted from. Walking up to the edge of the floor, which lead to some stairs down into this area, Four paused and gestured out to where crowds of Dauntless had gathered while up beat music played in the background.

" This is the pit. The center of life at Dauntless." Four told us. I watched with a smile as people started dancing to the music. People did this at my old faction, but the music was more classical and peaceful. Things were much more lively here. Much better, in my opinion.

The next place that we were shown were the sleeping arrangements. It wasn't such a long walk away from the Pit, and on the walk there wasn't much to see. By the looks of the interior decoration things were very similar throughout the whole compound.

" And this is where you will be sleeping." Four announced, as we entered a large room with lots of metal bunk beds.

" Girls or boys?" A boy, who I didn't yet know the name of, asked.

" Both." Four smirked at everyone's reaction. Personally I didn't mind, as anything was better than my old apartment that was filled with so many unwanted memories. But Tris didn't seem to pleased, being abnegation meant she was a very private person. " If you like this then wait till you see the bathroom,"

People groaned as they saw that the bathroom was toilets lined up along a wall then showers were opposite. Luckily the showers had curtains to block away unwanted eyes but the toilets didn't. I cringed at it. If it weren't for people like Peter being here then I wouldn't have minded. But he seemed the type of person to tease people a lot.

" You should like this Candor." Four said, talking to Christina. " Everything out in the open." Christina rolled her eyes at him in response and I giggled, earning myself a quick glance from Four. " Everyone change into Dauntless clothing and then come with me to dispose of your old ones."

My size wasn't too hard to find in the large pile of black uniform, and soon I'd claimed the bunk bed below Christina and opposite Tris. Unlike Tris, I wasn't insecure about my body and instead I was glad to be rid of my childish Amity clothing. Not bothering about who was looking, I pulled down the yellow pants that I had on and changed into the tight, black pants that Dauntless had provided for us all.

Peter's wolf whistle interrupted me. " Nice legs, Ditzy." I glared at him in annoyance.

" Your eyes aren't welcome here Candor." I snapped back, pulling off my shirt and replacing it with a black dauntless one and a fitted jacket with an orange lining. Finally, I looked a little more like a Dauntless. I'd finally stripped away the final bits of my old faction.

After burning our old Faction clothes, which surprised me a lot, we all headed to the dining room which was only a short walk down the corridor from our room. Since it was dinner time, the place was filled with Dauntless people of all ages. Though there seemed to be a lack of older faces... Not like in Amity, where the older you were the more respect you had among everyone. Everyone chatted and laughed freely and I smiled as I saw a group of friends throwing food playfully at each other. In Amity, this would be seen as a waste. Here... That meant nothing.

" Where shall we sit?" Christina asked awkwardly as more and more of the initiates wondered off without another word.

" Over there?" I looked to where Tris was pointing; a table where other initiates were sitting. It also happened to be the table where Eric and Four looked to be in a deep, angered conversation.

We all headed over there, Christina took a seat facing the boy who questioned Eric at the top of the building earlier today and Tris sat next to her. That left me sitting in between Tris and Eric. For some reason I felt self conscious around him. I think this was because I was afraid that he knew me - that he recognized me. If he did then he would know how much of a coward I actually was...

" Is this a hamburger?" I gaped at the food in front of me. In Amity, all we'd ever eaten was crops that we grew in the compound. Everything was organic, healthy, boring. I'd seen other people from different factions eat this kind of food in the dining hall in the main school which is in the city.

" Why do you sound so surprised? Have you never seen one before?" Christina asked, bewildered.

" I've seen them... just never eaten them..." I said while eagerly picking one out and placing it in a bread bun.

" Me neither," Tris said, shrugging. She looked completely lost on what to do with the meat in front of her until Christina helped her, rolling her eyes and giggling.

" People in Amity eat all organic food as they live and admire nature, all the meat they produce they give to other factions as they dislike killing animals. This is similar with people from Abnegation, since they only eat plain food," It was the boy who questioned Eric who told us this, and instantly I knew exactly which faction he'd transferred from.

" Smart," I told him with a nod of appreciation.

" Ha, so what textbook did you swallow?" All of us giggled at Christina's comment.

" He transferred from Erudite. Can't you tell Christina?" I asked.

" Correct. I'm Will." Will introduced himself, specifically smiling brightly at Christina. " Plus you have to be pretty self confident to be friends with a Candor. I hope you both are," He gestured towards Tris and I.

" What's that supposed to mean?" Christina snapped playfully, her voice going higher in pitch.

" You have no filter. You say the first thing that comes to your mind," Will answered.

" It's true, Christina. You can't deny it," I giggled at her feign of annoyance.

" At least I'm not into all that crap about leaving peacefully and singing songs to birds and stuff!" Christina retorted. I laughed at her and was about to reply, before an annoyed voice interrupted us all.

" That's enough about your old factions. You're all Dauntless now." Four snapped, obviously still angry from the conversation he'd been having with Eric. I turned to him with a frown, while everyone else just looked dumbstruck and fell silent.

" Well at least some of them are. I won't believe it until I see it," Eric's eyes lingered on me as he said this, and I turned my glare on him. Hadn't I just proved that I could be brave? I'd completed the first 3 tasks. In fact, I was braver than most since I jumped off the building backwards! Did that mean nothing at all? Then it dawned on me. Was he saying that because he remembered seeing me cowering away from saving my mother?

" What's that supposed to mean?" I asked Eric in an irritated tone. Tris said something to Four that I didn't catch since my attention was pinned on Eric. Everyone else were watching me and Tris closely.

" It means, _Amity. _That until your prove yourself, you're just a weak little girl who chose the wrong faction." Eric replied. Those words forever had a lasting memory on me. _Prove yourself. _It was like he was daring me to do so... What scared me most, however, was that when he said that, he sounded like his father. His _murderer _father.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Guns and Roses**_

We were all awakened the next morning by a loud banging against the side of the bunk beds. My eyes snapped awake as quick as lightning. I'd been in the middle of a nightmare; one where Eric's father was there, screaming at me to reveal that I was Divergent. Right before he was about to call upon someone, the nightmare ended. It took a few minutes for me to register that I was back in reality, but before I knew it I was up on my feet, like everyone else, and throwing on yesterday's clothing.

Last night, after dinner, it had been explained to us all, by four, that we would be ranked on our training. Our ranks would determine what jobs we get and, according to knew rules, who would get cut after the first stage of training. Apparently there were three stages to training; physical and mental. The first stage would be physical and the last two would be mental. After hearing about the cuts that would be made after our first stage, I was more determined that ever. Others seemed to have a similar approach to me, but many of them were angry that weren't told before. Al had cried himself to sleep over it. Personally, I wasn't too affected by this new rule. It just made me more determined. Factionless seemed a lot better than living my life in Amity.

That morning - at what I thought to be 6 o'clock because of Christina's on going droning that it was too early - we were lead to the training room in the Dauntless compound. The training room was like everything else; big, grey, serious. Everything was completely the opposite of Amity. Yet despite the same recurrences in Dauntless, they didn't bore me like the ones in Amity.

" Today you will learn how to shoot." My mind froze as I turned away from Christina and towards Four, seeing the pile of loaded guns on the table. It had always been in the back of my mind that here I would learn how to shoot. However, because of my Amity up-bringing, Guns had never been my favourite choice. They were killers. The biggest killers in the world. The main weapon that were used in the war that brought us here in the first place.

" First I will show you, then you will practice on the targets over there," Four instructed simply. Four's demeanor was always the same; a rock solid serious.

I watched carefully as Four demonstrated how to use a gun. Certain steps flew through my mind as I repeated them while Four demonstrated; strongest hand pulls the trigger, the opposite foot goes in front, whole body should face the target and you must not be afraid.

Once Four was done, we were all sent off to a target. Me, Tris and Christina all line up together, and next to me was a boy who I hadn't yet met. He and a girl, that I didn't know the name of, were hugging while he whispered something in her ear.

" What's with those two?" Tris asked, looking uncomfortable at their public display of affection.

" Your abnegation is showing." Christina rolled her eyes at Tris, laughing at her obvious discomfort around the two.

" What? They're only friends. It's just hugging." Everyone hugged people at Amity. It was the way of greeting people there. The only reason why I hadn't done it here was because I hadn't had friends since I was 10 and I knew that Abnegation people never touched each other.

" Now your Amity is showing." Christina rolled her eyes again, obviously annoyed at me and Tris. " Normal people don't go round hugging everyone, silly. It's Edward and Myra. Will told me about them since they're from Erudite. They transferred together. They're obviously together as a couple... Are you two completely oblivious?" I looked back at Edward and Myra, and smiled as they kissed each other before turning to shoot.

" What is this? Gossip girls? Get shooting!" Eric's order from behind us almost made me jump, but I didn't give him the satisfaction. Turning to the target and feeling his eyes on me, I weighed the gun up in my hands before taking my position, following the steps that I'd remembered. The gun felt foreign in my hands, and as I gazed at the target in concentration, I placed the gun in a position where I thought it would hit the target. Finally, I plucked up the courage to pull the trigger and , as I did, I stumbled backwards from the back lash that came with shooting. It took me completely by surprise. Four had made it look so easy...

" What was that?" Eric laughed at me from behind. " Are you not strong enough to hold a gun steady, Amity?" He teased mercilessly. I still didn't bother looking back at him. Instead I readied myself again, preparing myself for the back lash this time.

" It's my first time shooting." I snapped in a low tone, before shooting again. This time, I managed to keep the gun steadier, but my aiming had been all wrong. The bullet made a dent in the wall, top left of the target. It annoyed me that I missed again.

" Good luck," Eric said sarcastically, walking away while still chuckling. His disbelief in me annoyed me. So I decided to channel my annoyance into shooting. It only made me more determined...

We'd been practicing shooting for a couple of hours now, and I'd finally managed to hit the target in that time. The only time I had actually stopped concentrating on shooting was when I watched Four hold a gun to Peter's head. It had made me laugh so hard that I earned myself a glare from Four and Peter.

The gun was finally beginning to feel more familiar. I hadn't hit the center of the target yet. Each time I think I manage to get the aiming right, the gun doesn't shoot straight as it flings upwards a little after I shoot. It was beginning to annoy me. I shot bullet after bullet, but they all just hit the outskirt rings. It was like they were teasing me on purpose.

" You're doing it wrong." Eric's voice, again, caught me by surprise.

" Then I'll learn. I just need more practice." I told him firmly, speaking more to myself than him. The fact that I was failing at being able to shoot properly was beginning to annoy me. This would be the main skill I would need to get a high rank in Dauntless, which meant I was failing already.

" It doesn't matter how much you practice, with that technique you'll always fail." Eric said, still sounding like his father. The resemblance almost frightened me, but I refused to be intimidated.

" Then what am I doing wrong?" I snapped at him, turning and facing him with an exasperated expression. He smirked at my response.

" Turn around." I could feel Christina watching us at this point, but everyone else seemed oblivious. Eric hadn't actually helped anyone yet. It was oddly satisfying that I was the first one he chose to help.

" Position yourself like you did before." Following both of Eric's orders, I positioned myself, concentrating on the center of the target. " Your not using the strength in your arms. This right elbow needs to come back so you can hold the gun steadier." Eric's hand touched my elbow and I gasped in shock. He either ignored this or didn't hear, and slowly pulled my elbow back to the right position. My elbow was now further back than the rest of my body, unlike before.

" You're clearly not experienced enough yet to just use your arms to aim and hold the gun steady. Crouch a little so you hold your body further to the ground and use your whole body weight." Again, I followed this order, still gazing at center of the target and trying to ignore the feeling of Eric's presence behind me.

" Now, aim lower and more to the right." His hands were now on my arms, moving them to the right position. " Always aim the gun as low towards the center circle as possible, just in case it lifts slightly." I took in a few deep breaths, concentrating hard on the target. Eric's hands were still on my arm as I pulled the trigger. This time, with Eric guiding, I hit the very center of the target. With his tips, it felt much easier to shoot already.

" Finally," Eric said sarcastically, letting go of my arms and stepping away from me.

" Thank you." I muttered to him with a nod of appreciation. He only stared at me before walking off and accessing the other initiates again.

" Well that was cute," I turned to Christina, slightly dazed from the encounter I'd just had. At least I could shoot now...

" What was?" I asked, confused.

" You and Eric, obviously. I haven't actually seen him be that nice to anyone yet." Christina commented, winking at me suggestively. Still not fully understanding why she was saying this, I rolled my eyes. I'd seen Eric this kind before... It was odd yet gratifying to see him not acting and sounding like his father, but like the side of him that had saved her from the wrath of his family that day.

" Whatever. I can shoot now. So who cares?" I shrugged my shoulders, before turning back to the target and going back to shooting.

That day and the next were both based on shooting practice, and by the end of the tiring sessions, I was finally able to continually hit the center target. Me,Peter and Edward were the only ones able to do this continually, but Tris had gradually improved while the rest stayed fairly average. During the past two days, as well as doing the gun training, I'd taken long jogs around the compound and I'd done a few strength exercises that Four made us do after warming up and before shooting practice.

On the third day of been at Dauntless, shooting practice finished and Four introduced us to combat lessons. For the first half of the day we practiced punching a sandbag and a few simple techniques in fighting. Physically fighting someone was, like shooting, unknown to me and I tried to remember each tip four had offered. However, the only person who seemed to be doing worse than me was Tris. Despite my slightly broader build, my muscles were weak before of the lack of protein I'd eaten in my lifetime. This put me at a disadvantage to everyone else.

After a lunch break from training, we came back to practicing short exercises in pairs. Eric had been missing the whole day, which had confused me a little and I found myself wondering why he wasn't actually here. It annoyed me that I thought of him, but I couldn't help it. In every free moment my mind had from training now a days I found myself wondering whether he actually remembered me. Ever since he helped me with shooting, we hadn't spoke. But while I was practicing shooting I could sometimes feel his eyes watching me. I didn't know the reason why. But it was forever worrying me that it was because he remembered who I was...

" Stop!" Eric was here. Everyone stopped at his order and turned to face him obediently. Crossing my arms over my chest, I prepared myself for what he had in store for us. " First jumper and last jumper, in the ring!"

" Wait... he's making us fight already?" Christina asked me, as we watched Tris worriedly go up into the fighting ring that stood in the center of the training room. The last jumper had been Molly, one of Peter's friends. She was practically the female version of Peter; just less confident and not as skilled. Tris was never going to be good at fighting straight away - she was too small.

The rest of us gathered around the fighting ring. I watched Tris worriedly, wondering what was going to happen to her. She didn't deserve what was coming for her.

" How long do we fight for?" Molly asked, smirking as she saw the fear in Tris. She, Peter and their other friend Drew had annoyed me over the past few days. Peter always seemed to playfully flirt and tease me, while his friends stood and watched, insulting others along the way.

" Until one of you is no longer able to fight." My eyes widened as Eric said this. Did this mean Tris couldn't stop until she'd either knocked out Molly or was knocked out herself?

" Or until one of you concedes." Four jumped in quickly.

" That's according to the old rules." Eric said, glaring at Four. The tension between the two hadn't died down at all and, in fact, had grew worse. It made me wonder what had happened between the two to hate each other so much. " The new rules are, no one concedes."

" You really want to hurt them all in their first fight?" Four questioned, angered by Eric already.

" A brave man never surrenders." Eric snapped back, crossing his arms over his chest and widening his stance. He was trying to look more intimidating again... It seemed that he always did this when he felt threatened by someone.

" It's a good job those weren't the rules when we fought." Four smirked as Eric tensed. Since I was fairly close to them both, I heard Four's comment despite the fact that he'd said it more quietly. This comment explained a lot, though; Eric hated Four because he was competitive, and Four had beaten him. Whether this was the same for Four, I didn't know.

" We score on this so fight hard!" Eric announced, turning his gaze back to Tris and Molly. The two stood staring at Four and Eric for a moment, before Eric snapped at them " Go!" He was obviously still angered by Four's comment.

The fight didn't last very long. Throughout it, me and Christina tried to cheer on Tris while Peter and Drew laughed at her. Tris had attempted to defend herself, but it was obvious that she knew nothing about fighting. Molly had practically had the upper hand in the fight instantly, after they'd both caught onto the fact that Eric wasn't going to let them go until one of them had won. The fight only lasted a few minutes, and once Molly had been able to knock Tris to the floor, she'd finished Tris off with a few punches to the Jaw.

" That's enough. You're finished." Four announced as Molly went in for another punch. Instantly, me, Christina, Will and Al ran up to the ring to pick up Tris from the floor.

" Amity. Stay there, you're up." My eyes widened in a slight amount of fear as I heard Eric's voice behind me. His voice was cold and distant again, just like before. " Edward. In the ring." Since the beginning, Edward had been a natural. Everything that we'd done so far he'd excelled at.

Once Al, Will and Christina had fully managed to carry Tris out of the ring, Edward joined me, taking up his defense position. I did the same, trying hard to remember what Four had told us.

" The same rules apply. No exceptions and you'll be docked points the longer you play around with each other like the other two!" Eric stated. " Fight!" I tensed at the words and stared Edward straight in the eye, studying him. In his eyes I could tell that he was a better person than Peter and he wasn't sure about truly fighting someone. However, his emotionless expression said something different.

Taking advantage of the fact that I hadn't moved yet and was frozen in my place, Edward made the first move. His punch was aimed straight for my face, but I blocked him with my arms, stumbling backwards slightly. Right before I balanced myself again, he punched again. This time he hit the side of my face. However, he left his defense open. Using all the strength I could muster, I aimed for his neck, managing to hit him. He groaned and gasped in pain, but caught my hand instantly and threw me off guard by twisting it behind my back. I was slower to react because of the throbbing of my jaw, but I kicked my foot back to hit him in the stomach. Another groan of pain escaped his lips, but, like before, he caught my foot before I managed to move it. Twisting it and causing a shriek of pain to sound from my lips, he lifted me by my arm and leg, throwing me over his shoulder. I cried out again when I hit the floor, hissing in pain.

" Finish her off!" Eric ordered, clearly impatient. My eyes had become disorientated so it took me longer to notice that Edward had pounced on me, pinning my wrists down to the floor. I attempted to struggle in his grasp, but he was stronger than me. Thrashing around frantically, I brought my knee up to his stomach. However, my blow hadn't been strong enough and he managed to swing a final punch to my jaw. The intensity of the pain caused me to quit fighting and to become extremely disorientated.

" Fight over." I heard Eric announce these words, while I plunged from darkness to light again. Edward clambered off me and I could hear people by my side.

" Rianna? Rianna are you there?" Will was clicking his fingers in front of my face. My jaw was aching and my back and head hurt from my landing. A frown formed on my face as I tried to form the words 'Yes', until I suddenly fell unconscious.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Falling_**

" Initiates aren't supposed to be in here after dark." A familiar voice interrupted my hard training.

I'd woken up earlier on today, an hour or so after the fight had finished. My injuries hadn't been as bad as the healers first thought, luckily. From my first fight with Edward, I came out with a large black bruise on the right side of my jaw, a few bruises along my back, a lump on the back of my head and a small amount of concussion. The doctors had told me that I needed to rest and that I shouldn't do much physical exercise for a least a day if I felt any dizziness or had blurry vision.

Around a few hours after I'd been told this, I was back up on my feet. It didn't take long to get use to the mild ache of my injuries. Edward had already apologized for what he'd done and Christina, Will and Al had made it their mission to cheer me and Tris up. At Dinner it had actually worked, for the first time in a while I'd found myself warming up to people and considering them as close friends; especially Christina. I actually cracked a few jokes which made them all laugh, which was strange since I hadn't done that in years.

Once dinner was over, I decided to do some late night training. Despite Edward always excelling at combat and physical things, I was annoyed that I lost the fight. It made me more determined to not lose another one. I knew I needed to build up muscle and technique, since I'd had no idea what I was doing half the time while fighting, and my punches hadn't been as strong as Edward's were. Obviously, by the sound of what Eric was saying, I'd lost track of time.

" And you're point is?" I didn't stop punching the sand bag as I spoke. My breaths were sharp and quick, and my face was filled with sweat. Slowly, I could feel myself becoming more and more self-conscious as Eric approached me.

" My point is, that you shouldn't be here." Eric said sternly, stopping a few feet behind me and watching me as I punched. " You should be asleep and getting rest."

" I don't need rest. I need more training time. So if you're going to kick me out, I'll just wake up early and come tomorrow morning." I answered.

" You lost today. It didn't surprise me. Though, I did think you were determined to prove yourself to me." I stopped for a breather and grabbed my water bottle from the floor, taking a large gulp of water.

" I've proved that I'm not some little girl from Amity. I never belonged there in the first place," I snapped, angry that I still hadn't done enough to prove this. " I'm training harder so I don't lose again. So, if you don't mind, you can either leave or kick me out. I have work to do."

Eric smirked at me. It seemed that he was his softer self today, after all the fighting, rather than his cold, ruthless self. " There's no point practicing if your techniques all wrong, Amity. You'll always lose. I'm not convinced you have what it takes," I could hear hints of sarcasm in his tone.

" I am _not _Amity. I am Dauntless." I stated firmly, glaring at Eric now.

" Then act like it." Eric said, narrowing his eyes and studying me. " You're angry. You fight better when you're angry, I've seen it."

" You've only seen me fight once. I lost. End of story." I rolled my eyes, turning back to the punch bag.

" Show me how you fight then. Punch me, as hard as you can," I burst out laughing, turning to face Eric as he said this.

" Are you kidding me? I think punching a Dauntless leader might just get me thrown out," I took another gulp of water, trying to steady my fast breathing.

" I gave you an order, initiate." Eric ordered, his voice turning cold for a moment.

" And you expect me to actually punch you?" I questioned with eyebrows raised.

" If you don't, then you're factionless. _End of story._" He quoted me from earlier, smirking as I frowned at him. His orders were becoming infuriating. What was with him? Was he being serious? Or is he just teasing me?

" Fine." I grumbled.

" Do exactly what you did when you fought Edward." Eric ordered, looking me straight in the eye. Listening, and wanting to get it over and done with, I stood with my left elbow in front of me and my right arm ready to punch. My stance was fairly wide and I stood with my left foot in front of the other.

" Are you going to fight me?" I questioned, slightly worried by this thought. My injuries hadn't yet recovered from the fight earlier, and Eric was much stronger and more trained than Edward was.

" No. Now stop playing around, and follow my order." Eric was the one to snap this time, becoming impatient already. Eyeing him once more, I waited for a moment before taking a step forward and punching Eric, as hard as I could, in the stomach. His ab muscles tensed underneath my fist and I did my best to ignore this.

" There. Done." I rolled my eyes.

" That was pathetic," Eric said, shaking his head in an almost disgusted way.

" Thank you. That is so nice of you," I smiled sarcastically, and this time it was Eric who rolled his eyes.

" You're never going to win a fight like that. Your technique is all wrong, like always." Mine and Eric's eyes were now locked together as if we were both staring each other down.

" I don't need your help. If I'm doing something wrong, then Four can tell me in the morning. He's my instructor after all." A flash of a certain emotion passed through Eric's eyes as I said this, and his jaw clenched. He didn't speak for a moment.

" Admit it. You need my help." His tone was lower and annoyed as he approached me, his fists clenched.

" Just leave me alone, Eric!" My voice was raised this time and I quickly turned back to the punching bag, resuming what I was doing before. I could still feel his presence forever coming closer behind me. In the midst of my thoughts, I realized this was the first time I'd ever spoken to Eric properly, and the first time I'd actually said his name out loud. Why I was dwelling on this, however, I didn't know.

" Tense your stomach," I gasped and almost jumped as I felt his hand on my stomach. His body was now only a few inches away from mine and I could feel his breath on my neck. After a moments worth of shock, I did as I was told. " Crouch down a little like I told you to when you were holding a gun, it helps you keep yourself balanced."

" Why are you doing this?" I whispered, still shocked over his closeness. His hands now moved to my arms, his touch sending strange tingles through me.

" Your strongest allies are your elbow and knee since your punches aren't as strong as others and try and use all your body weight when you're attacking. Always keep your left arm up in defense and aim for a place where it will hurt. If you're punching, aim for the nose since it shocks people the most. Next, you aim for the neck since that is one of the easiest places to hurt. If you're kicking then aim for their stomach, like when you used your knee to hit Edward. Finally, always keep your balance and watch your opponent at all times, try and memorize his technique and how he moves. You got all of that?" I was in a daze trying to remember everything that Eric had said while his hands were on me.

" Yeah, yeah." I mumbled, trying to calm my rapid heartbeat down.

" If you're up against strong initiates like Edward, then know their weaknesses. Edward always uses his quick reflexes to his advantage, which is he managed to grab you and throw you. Your advantage is that you've got a sharp elbow and knee and since you're smaller, you're quicker." Eric explained further, seeming completely relaxed. " Remember all of this. Don't push yourself too far with training. The more tired you are in a fight the slower your reflexes are."

" Is that your way of telling me to leave?" Eric chuckled and let me go, seeming at ease with himself. It was strange seeing him not as intense and intimidating. In fact, I liked this side of him. Though I was glad I could finally relax now his hands were off me, even though the tingling feeling had not left my body. It was strange and foreign.

" Yes. You need your rest." Eric answered bluntly. His sudden mood character changes were beginning to confuse me, but I hoped this Eric stayed for a while. I found myself genuinely liking him.

" Fine. I'm going," For the third time tonight, I rolled my eyes at him before picking up my water bottle and heading for the door. Just before I reached it, I turned to face Eric who was still stood in the same place, watching me go with an almost puzzled expression. " Eric?"

" Yes?" He responded, his eyebrows raining questioningly.

" Why are you helping me?" I questioned. " After all, you think I'm just a little weak girl from Amity." My hopes raised as he opened his mouth as if to answer. Though he paused for a moment, as if contemplating it.

" Because you're hurt." His voice was much quieter this time and I barely heard him. I could have heard him wrong, but I didn't think I did. Strangely, my heart fluttered at his words and I held back a smile. My mind's reaction to those simple words were confusing me.

" Thank you." I told him, allowing the smile to spread across my face. He didn't smile back, but just gazed at me instead. Then, I left quickly without speaking another word, heading to bed with a puzzled mind; my thoughts all included Eric.

* * *

The next day I felt tired from all the training the previous day and the mild concussion I had. What was weird and kept my mind awake, however, was for the first night in around 6 years I'd had a dreamless night's sleep. I didn't recall being scared at all, which is what generally happened. It was why I sometimes despised going to sleep.

My tiredness continued for the rest of the day but, since I fought yesterday, I didn't have to fight again till tomorrow, which gave me chance to heal. Instead - after breakfast, warm ups and an hours worth of training - I was stuck watching fights. The first fight was Al and Will. Throughout it all, I turned away when things began to take a rougher tone. I didn't want the moment when Al knocked Will out and won, and I was glad I didn't. It was horrible to watch two friends reluctantly fighting each other. In fact, it was hard to have friends while in a brutal competition. I only hoped I would never have to fight Christina, Will, Al or Tris.

The fight after that was Christina and Drew. Drew was like a lesser version of Peter - he was strong, fairly tall and broad but not nearly as skilled and able to fight well. Like Tris and Molly's fight, it hadn't taken long for Drew to take the upper hand and make Christina fall to the floor. I looked away again as Drew repeatedly began to punch Christina and I, for some reason, felt Eric's eyes on me as I flinched when Christina cried out in pain.

" I'm done. I'm done..." Christina breathed heavily, groaning as she pulled herself across the floor and away from Drew.

" You're done?" I tensed as I felt the anger arise within Eric. Instantly I worried about what he was going to do to Christina. The only time he'd ever shown a kind side was yesterday night, and by the looks of things that had disappeared after I left.

" Yes," Christina winced as she held her side in pain.

" Okay... Are you alright?" Eric asked, holding out a hand for her. I frowned as I watched this, not really knowing whether what I was seeing was true. Was Eric really being nice again? For some reason, the thought of him being nice to Christina caused a little jealousy to stir within me. This confused me even more.

" Thank you." Christina said with a smile, lifting herself to her feet with Erics help. I watched the scene carefully, wondering how everything was going to play out.

" Initiates, follow me!" Eric ordered, not sounding nearly as cold and irritated as he usually did. While frowning, I followed Eric with everyone else. Eric headed out of the training room and towards the pit.

" What do you think he's doing?" Will's voice startled me a little, but I turned to face him with a shrug.

" I don't know. But I hope Christina's okay." I said worriedly, turning my glance back to Eric who now had his arm around Christina comfortingly. Jealousy bubbled within me again and I quickly put it to the back of my mind, confused to why I was feeling this.

Soon Eric stopped on the bridge above the Chasm that we'd been shown on our tour and warned about. It was the one place where every year they, apparently, had someone stupidly jump off of it. Everyone else stopped behind Eric and watched as he looked at Christina with concerned eyes. Again, I frowned.

" Are you feeling a little better?" He asked Christina.

" Yeah... actually I am." Suddenly, just after she said this, Eric grabbed Christina by the arm and swung her off the edge of the small bridge, dangling her over the Chasm. Christina's scream made me jump and I gasped in horror as I watched the scene span out.

" Grab the rail, or don't," Eric smirked as he watched the horror spread across Christina's frightened expression. " You have three options. 1. You hang there for four minutes and I forget your cowardice. 2. You fall and die. 3. You give up. But if you give up then you're out." Eric threatened sadistically. I shifted uncomfortably, looking anywhere but at Christina.

" It's okay. She'll make it through." Will whispered to me, grabbing my hand to try and stop me from shaking. I hadn't realised I was shaking until now. But it was dawning on me that if Christina fell, she would die in the same way my mother had. Another person I love would be lost...

" Come on Christina!" I shouted, suddenly becoming bouncy on my feet as I waited for the time to pace. My voice echoed around the area and Eric turned to glare at me, catching my eye. His eyes seemed to ice over as he saw mine and Will's hands and a weird expression formed on his face. Looking down at Christina, I cringed and shook my head as I could see her hands slipping slightly.

" Times up!" Al announced. I gasped in relief and raced forward with Will to help Christina up. It took the strength of me, Will and Al to help her up from the railing and back onto her feet. Comfortingly, Will wrapped her in a hug as Christina stared blankly ahead, still shaking from the terror.

Seeing Christina like that was unsettling and caused the anger within me to rise. My mind questioned to why that was necessary. The fight should have ended when Drew had Christina on the floor since he was just putting her through more pain by punching her repeatedly rather than just ending it with a single, forceful punch like everyone else. Christina could have died doing that. It was all Eric's fault.

" That was unfair." I stated in a low tone, approaching Eric angrily. He glanced down at me, staring at me with a steely gaze.

" She needed to learn a lesson. Cowardice is not permitted here." Eric practically growled back, his voice low and the angriest I'd ever heard him.

" You call that a lesson? She could have died!" I protested, frowning as I realized that he had no remorse over this. He didn't feel guilty at all. In fact, I could tell he was pleased with what he had just done.

" And your point is?" He quoted me, again, from last night. This only caused my anger to rise. Storming up to him so that there was little distance between us, I looked up at him, glaring.

" You monster! You heartless monster!" I swung my arm back, preparing to punch him. Despite knowing what I was doing, Eric made no reaction and instead looked behind me, where someone grabbed my fist to stop me.

" Rianna, no." Al's voice caused me to pause and realize what I was actually doing. Now that I was thinking a little more, it dawned on me that there was a bunch of initiates watching me say and do this to a Dauntless leader. I was just about to punch a Dauntless leader in front of everyone... I looked back up at Eric with a guilty expression, and this only increased as I saw the malice and fury in his eyes.

" What's going on here?" I turned at the sound of Four's voice, looking down at the floor. Something was going to happen to me.

" Take the initiates back to the training room, Four, while I deal with this one." Eric stated, his voice low and controlled. I caught eyes with Four for a moment before I quickly looked away. Al, Christina, Will and Tris all watched me worriedly as they left with Four and the other initiates.

" What you did was unfair..." I spoke in a softer tone this time, looking up to meet his eyes again. His eyes portrayed the look of his father when he was preparing to kill my mother; anger, malice, and ice.

" You had no right to speak against me! My orders are final and nobody defies that, you pathetic girl!" He snarled at me angrily, pointing a finger at me as if he was telling off a small child.

" I'm not pathetic." I snapped. The one thing I hated was being told that I was something that I wasn't. It made me angry and more determined to prove that I aren't what they say I am. And I am _not _pathetic. " If anything, I showed bravery by standing up to you for my friend!"

Eric shook his head. " You had no right to speak against me! You are beneath me! I am your superior! Only a coward would stand against an order!" I flinched at the loudness and sheer force of his tone. He seemed to notice this, and I think I saw his eyes soften slightly as he realised.

" Fine! I'm the coward! Punish me like you did Christina and get it over with!" Eric shook his head, again, while looking away for a moment in deep thought.

" We don't believe in fairness here! You're at Dauntless now, not Amity! Act like it!" Eric shouted, stepping closer and towering over me. An attempt to intimidate me. One that failed. " You want punishing? Fine. You deserve it, little girl."

" So you're going to hang me over a chasm too? Be the same ruthless monster that you got angry about for me calling you?" I questioned.

" Yes. It will teach you a lesson." Eric snapped. Taking hold of my arm, he swung me slowly over the edge of the bridge and hovered me over the chasm. Unlike Christina, though, he held me there until I grabbed onto the railing. " I'm worse than a ruthless monster," He snarled. Sitting with his legs dangling over the barrier, Eric glared at me as I hung. Already, the fear was building within me...


	7. Chapter 7

_**A Softer Side**_

I tried to not concentrate on it; the feeling of helplessness. I tried to not concentrate on anything. But that was practically impossible while hanging on with onto a railing with only your fingers. It was impossible not to feel like you were going to fall and die. I refused to give up, despite all the fear that was coursing through my body; making my heart beat rapidly, body shake and hands become sweaty. My fear wasn't helping the situation. I didn't want to fall. I didn't want to die. Ever since my mother's death I'd always had a fear of falling.

" How long left?" I asked in a strained tone, slapping myself mentally as I realized how weak and afraid I sounded. Eric's eyes snapped towards me and he studied me for a moment.

" 4 minutes."

" Christina only had to do 4! I've been here for longer than that!" Though it was meant to be a shout, my voice came out in quick, sharp breaths. I sounded vulnerable and I hated it. Again, Eric glanced down at me.

" Well you're doing 5." Eric stated simply, looking away.

What I thought to be another minute, passed by. I'd tried putting all of my concentration into counting. However, this just made me worry more about all the time I had left. My hyperventilating hadn't receded, and instead had become worse. The only sound now was the running water in the Chasm and my frantic, unsteady breaths. My fingers were beginning to ache already and my arms were already feeling weak. It didn't help that I was still injured from yesterday's fight.

" You look scared, Amity." I expected to look up and see Eric smirking as he said this. Unusually, I was wrong. Instead he was watching me carefully, his expression looking almost puzzled.

" Looks are a deception," I muttered in a strained voice. Unfortunately, I'd made the mistake of looking down a few times and it was beginning to scare me even more. Thoughts of what would happen to me if my hands just slipped were bouncing around my mind, travelling like wild fire.

" Your breathing isn't."

" How long?" I asked again, not bothering to look up at him. Adjusting my body's position just wasted more energy that I needed. I didn't want to make my arms ache anymore than they were doing already.

" 2 and a half minutes." I shut my eyes as I heard this, and attempted to calm myself down. For some reason, Eric's voice was beginning to sound less and less cold or angry. It made me wonder what he would do if my hands did slip... _He'd let you fall and die. _

" Have you learnt your lesson yet?" Eric asked, his voice quite gruff now.

" Have you learnt yours?"

" Don't answer a question with a question." Eric snapped.

" Fine, then no. I haven't. If you hang Christina or one of my friends over a chasm again, I would do the exact same thing I'm doing now." I spoke quickly this time, only stopping to breath at the end of the sentence. What annoyed me most was that my voice had now raised in pitch, making me sound even more frightened.

" If you do that again, then you'll get the same punishment."

Silence fell again for the next minute. My hands were becoming more and more damp, and I cried out every so often because the pain was becoming unbearable. The higher the intensity of the pain, the worse my fear became. After all this time, I knew that tears were threatening to spill from my eyes. But I refused to cry. I refused to show weakness.

" 1 and a half minutes left." I made the mistake of looking up at Eric, and I felt one hand slip. He'd gone back to ignore me, and I cried out again as the fingers from my left hand slipped downwards. The ache in my left arm subsides a little, but the feeling of falling surged through my body. I was only holding on with the tip of my fingers and the pain had increased in my right arm. The tears fell as I could no longer hold them in. This is how I was going to die... In the same way as my mother. And it would be the fault of my mothers killers son, who turned out to be exactly like him.

" Eric..." _I might as well tell him that I'm going to die. _

" What?" He snapped, resting his eyes on me. As I looked up at him, his jaw clenched as he saw me crying.

" I'm falling..." I gasped, holding back a sob. " My hand's slipping," Some sort of emotion flashed in Eric's eyes before he quickly hid it with a steely gaze.

" Hold on then," Eric snarled in response, his eyes now locked on me and my sweaty hands.

" I can't..." I whispered in fright. " I can't!" I fumbled with my left hand to try and get a better grip but I could feel my fingers slipping at an agonizing slow pace.

" I know what you're trying to do-" Eric began to shout, but he was cut off by my scream of terror as my left hand fully slipped away the railing and dangled helplessly. I cried out again as pain shot through my right arm. All of my body weight was now resting on my right hand and I knew I wasn't strong enough to hold for much longer.

" I can't hold on... I'm going to fall... I'm going to fall..." I whispered to myself, squeezing my eyes tightly shut as my sobs shook through me. Then, I looked up at Eric again who wore a puzzled and lost expression, his eyes fixed on me. My cries increased as I felt my right hand slipping and I snapped my eyes shut again. _This is how I'm going to die... Like my mother..._

The banging of feet on the bridge caused my hand to slip more because of the vibrations. I looked up to see who it was. Me and Eric were still alone, and it was he who now crouched over me, looking oddly anxious.

" Grab my hand." He ordered.

" What?" I gasped.

" I said, grab my hand!" He shouted this time, his eyes widening as he spotted my right hand slip further. Using all the strength I had left, I swung my left hand up and reached as far as I could for his hand. But as I tried to pull myself up a little, my hand touched his for a brief moment before I felt myself slip further. That was it. I was done.

" Rianna!" The sound of my name on his lips shocked me, and I screamed as I felt myself fall. Suddenly, however, a strong grip clung onto my right wrist and pulled me up a little.

" What are you doing?" I managed to asked through my increasing sobs of terror.

" Now grab my hand." His tone was softer this time as he stared down at me with anxious eyes. What was he doing?

This time I managed to reach my left arm far enough up so he could grab my wrist with his other hand. In one swift movement, I felt myself being dragged up back onto the bridge. My feet stumbled at the new pressure and I accidentally fell into Eric's muscly chest, still breathing wildly. As my brain recognized what was happening, my cheeks warmed but, strangely, I felt his strong arms wrap around me for a moment. I knew he was looking down at me because of the warm breath I could feel on my head. The odd sense of protection I felt with his arms around me, bewildered me. For once I felt safe and protected.

" You saved me..." I pulled away, my cheeks bright red from the unusual encounter. Eric looked away awkwardly for a moment, bringing his arms down to rest by his side. His fists clenched together.

" Wouldn't be the first time..." Eric muttered, still not looking my way. Memories of when he pulled me up onto the train before I fell flashed through my mind, and I had to stop a smile forming on my face.

" Why? Why not just let me fall and die?" My breathing was less audible now, and the tears had stopped. I could feel my body still shaking, however.

Eric didn't answer. " Why are you so scared of falling? Even before your hands slipped, you were scared out of your mind."

" Why is that any of your business?"

" You owe me. I saved you." Eric answered firmly. " Anyway, I was hardly going to let you fall and die." He said this more quietly, stealing a quick glance at me.

" Weren't you? I didn't know that." His change of emotions were confusing me again. Why did he have to be such a complicated person?

" No. Christina showed cowardice by giving up. You showed bravery by shouting at me. Nobody does that..." Eric mumbled, a perplexed expression forming on his face again.

" Then why did you hang me over a chasm?" I questioned.

" I'm not answering questions until you answer mine." Eric stated, finally looking at me properly for the first time. His eyes locked with mine as I sighed.

" You mean the one where you asked me why I was so afraid of falling?"

" Yes."

I sighed again, closing my eyes for a moment. " Falling was how my mother died."

" What happened to her?" I hesitated for a moment, wondering if he would remember who I was if I told him how my mother died. Eric had obviously seen what had happened to her.

" She jumped from a window... killed herself." Eric's eyes seemed to soften from their usual icy state. Some form of guilt flashed across his expression.

" Why?" He pressed further.

" She wasn't happy with her life," I lied and shrugged. " She gave up." That was wrong of me to say but I figured it would convince Eric more.

" What happened to your father?"

" Why are you asking me all of this?" I questioned, frowning at him.

" Call it curiosity." Eric shrugged. I paused for a moment, and looked away from him, my eyes lingering over the bottom of the chasm.

" My father was hurt and mourned her death. He'd been away at the time and had left me and my mother for a few days. He practically went crazy so I had to look after him. He only started speaking to me again around a year or so after her death. Even then he didn't say much. The only thing he did was draw and paint. He's like an artistic robot." I explained, my voice quiet as I spoke. _Why was I telling Eric all of this? _Somehow I'd got carried away with explaining. I never had told anyone about this... Why was I trusting Eric?

" No wonder you wanted to leave." Eric scoffed, his hands clenching into fists again causing his knuckles to crack.

" Yep." I brought my eyes back up to meet his. " Your turn. Why did you hang me over a chasm if you believe I did nothing wrong?

Eric shrugged. " I was angry at you, I got too carried away..." His voice was growing more silent as he continued. " I didn't want to hurt you." He said the last bit so quiet that I wasn't sure whether I heard him right. This time, though, I couldn't stop the smile forming over my face.

" Thank you... again." I said, watching as the corner of his lips twitched slightly as if he, too, was holding back a smile.

" Did you learn you lesson?" He asked as I was about to turn and join the others.

" Yes... I did." I replied.

" Good. I did too." A small, only just distinguishable smile formed on his face before he quickly turned and walked off in the opposite direction. " Go back to the training room. If anyone asks, tell them that you hung there for 5 minutes and that's all." Was the final thing he said before disappearing, leaving me in a state of shock. What had just happened?

* * *

" Rianna!"

" Are you okay?"

" What did Eric do to you?" A muddle of questions all mixed themselves into one as I arrived back in the dorms. It turned out that after a few more fights had taken place, we'd been given a few hours off of training to recover. Four had told me this after, he too, asked me what Eric had done. I'd replied with the answer Eric had given me and it was what I was about to do now. I knew Eric would hate me if I told people about his softer side that he'd currently only shown around me.

" I'm fine. He did the same as he did to Christina except I had to hold on for a minute longer. He shouted at me a little bit and that was it. It's over and done with." I explained simply to Tris, Will, Al and Christina.

" Did he lower your ranking?" Will asked, while relief swept across the other's faces.

" Not that I know of. But he might do." I highly doubted that I would. I hoped, anyway.

" Eric's an ass." Christina said, finally looking like her normal self again after hanging from the chasm.

" What do you expect? He's a dauntless leader?" I said.

" You're very perceptive," Will commented, eyeing me for a moment.

" What? For saying that Eric should be an ass since he's a Dauntless leader?"

" No. No... You just always seem to know things about people that others don't see." Will replied. This made me consider what Will was saying, but I chuckled at him.

" Ok now you're sounding like a Candor. I think Christina and Al are rubbing off on you." Everyone else laughed with me.

" Hey look who it is! Ditzy's back! How was your five minutes of fame in Dauntless?" Peter's voice interrupted our laughing, and I turned to him with a glare. Drew and Molly flanked both his sides like lost loyal puppies. It was hilarious to watch.

" Five minutes of fame? It was five minutes hanging over a chasm." I snapped back, feeling the anger rise within me that always came when I spoke to Peter.

" Oh you poor little girl..." Peter faked sympathy. " You know, you're actually pretty brave for almost punching a Dauntless leader. Why don't you come join us instead of these losers? Molly, here, could do with another girlfriend." Molly looked outraged by this but I ignored her and laughed.

" What makes you think I would ever join you? Your posse is pathetic. The only reason why you have friends is because they don't want to be hurt by you. Drew and Molly are both cowards in disguise and, unlike them, I'm not afraid of you Peter. At least I have real friends." Molly and Drew looked angry about this, and both took a step closer towards me. However, Peter held them back. Instead, he approached me.

" Your mistake." Peter snarled as both Will and Al moved closer to me to try and intimidate Peter. Peter just smirked at them and stalked off with Drew and Molly following.

" Well that was weird." Christina commented, glaring at Peter, Drew and Molly.

" At least you proved to them that your not just a little Amity girl," Tris said in a soft voice as an attempt to cheer me up. I smiled at her gratefully.

" You're not actually going to join them, are you Rianna?" Al asked, oddly seeming distrustful.

" Of course not! I hate them as much as you do." I protested, frowning at Al. Did he not trust me?

" You know what we should do?" Christina piped up, sensing the sudden tension that had risen. " We should all go and get new clothes and tattoos."

" That's actually a great idea." Finally, soon I would be able to look even more Dauntless-like. Maybe it would prove to Eric that I wasn't just a weak girl anymore... After all, for some reason it was him I wanted to prove myself the most.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Friends And Enemies**_

The shop area in Dauntless was fairly easy to find even though we hadn't been shown it on our tour. It was at the other side of the Pit to where the training room and our dormitory was; it was closer to the Dauntless people's apartments. There weren't many shops and to pay, we were all given as certain amount of points each month as initiates to spend in stores. Initiates were given less points than Dauntless civilians, but we were given enough to get by.

Christina had gone practically crazy in the clothing store, picking up anything and everything. While me and Tris hung back more and just bought what we needed. I ended up buying some black leggings with orange lining, a fitted black vest top, a black sweat shirt for training in, a black jumper with the same orange lining, a black fitted jacket and some new trainers. This was little compared to Christina, who ended up buying an outfit for training, lounging in and to dress up in. Tris bought similar to be.

The next store we went to after that was the piercing and tattoo. We all split up in there since there were a lot of choices in tattoos and piercings, so we agreed to meet up at the entrance in about an hour. First, I wandered off into the tattoo section and attempted to pick out a tattoo that I liked. After a few minutes of searching, and then getting bored, I chose out three tattoos. A lady named Tori ended up putting them on me. The first one was a ring of birds that looks like they were flying from my left shoulder, underneath my right arm and back up to my shoulder. The second said ' Be Brave' on my left wrist and the third said ' Be Dauntless' on my right.

After thanking Tori for the perfect tattoos, I wandered over to the piercing section to see what I could have do. I wondered idly whether to get my eyebrows pierced or not, and as I thought about one I was reminded of Eric's. It looked good on him.

" Well, well, well. Look who I found." A strangely familair voice made me jump as two hands rested on my shoulders. I smiled as I turned round, realizing exactly who it was.

" Hey Carl." I greeted him.

" So you chose the mighty Dauntless after all. I don't know whether to praise you or slap you," Carl winked at me playfully, letting go of my shoulders as I turned around to face him.

" If you slap me I'll hit back, so I advice you not to." I warned him, fake glaring. " Anyway, you of all people know that the only right place for me was here in Dauntless."

" I know. If you'd have threatened people like that in Amity, you'd have been kicked out instantly." Carl replied and as he was speaking I turned around and picked out two pictures from the wall. " What piercings are you wanting done? Whatever it is, I'll do them."

" You do piercings here? And there I'd thought you'd have a better job than that." I teased.

" There is no better job out there," Carl responded and I chuckled at him. " So what can I do for you?"

" I would like both my ears to look like this," I held up a picture of an ear with 4 piercings; 2 on the ear lobe, 1 Tragus piercing and 1 Helix piercing. " And I want the very end of my eyebrow piercing please."

" A fine choice, Adrianna. Take a seat." Carl gestured, with a smile, towards the seat in the far corner of the room. It seemed a little more secluded and quieter than the rest since there were less people towards the back.

" Actually its Rianna now. Adrianna was too Amity-like," I told him. His smile widened as he looked me in the eye.

" A pretty name to suit a pretty face," Carl complimented and I blushed a little. Though for some reason I didn't like the fact that he was obviously trying to flirt with me. I only saw Carl as a friend... The only person who I considered... I stopped myself there before I thought any further.

" Rianna," The very same voice interrupted what Carl was about to say. I smiled as I saw Eric walk up the step towards Carl, who was now piercing my ear. " Fancy seeing you here."

" Hey Eric." It was strange hearing my name from his lips, as usually he just called me Amity. After what had happened earlier I didn't know quite what to say to him.

" Eric. What are you doing here? Are you wanting another piercing?" Carl questioned, his eyes not leaving me as he pierced the second hole into my ear. There was only a slight bit of pain from the piercings and I winced every time as I heard the sound the piercing gun made. Eric saw and smirked at this.

" Actually, no. I came here to remind you that Max still wishes to speak to you about the... er, incident. You haven't been to see him yet and he's wondering what's taking you so long." I looked at Carl and saw his jaw clench. Curiosity bubbled inside of me.

" What's taking me so long is the fact that I have a full time job that requires me, unlike you who goes prowling about the corridors intimidating people all day." I could sense the immediate tension between the two.

" Well, and Rianna here is your proof, I've been training initiates to get into Dauntless rather than convincing them to get stupid piercings that don't mean anything." Eric took a step closer towards Carl, standing tall over him. My eyes widened. " And if you wanted my job so badly, then you should have tried harder to beat me in our fight during initiation."

" Yeah, a fight you clearly cheated in." Carl muttered, finally finishing off my first ear. Eric took another step and grabbed Carl's arm threateningly.

" Eric what are you doing?" I asked with a puzzled expression, grabbing his arm to stop him. The last thing I wanted was there to be a fight while I was supposed to be getting piercings. Turning to me for a moment, Eric stared at me and saw how bewildered and curious I was about the situation. Soon he let go of Carl's arm and brushed my hand of his.

" You must see Max within the next few days." Eric ordered sternly, sounding cold and heartless again. " Rianna, you need to come with me."

" What? Why?" I questioned, a frown forming on my face.

" Don't question an order." Eric snapped back. I only rolled my eyes at him.

" Can't I just finish getting these piercings first?"

" Fine. I'll wait here." Eric continued to watch me as Carl did the rest of my piercings. For the majority of it we were all in silence. Carl attempted to make conversation with me but I was too distracted by Eric to continue conversations. Strangely, I didn't feel uncomfortable about the fact that Eric was watching me like a hawk.

" Your piercings are beautiful." Carl smiled after he'd handed me a mirror to have a look at them. I had to admit they looked impressive and made me look a little scarier. " Come back soon, okay? If you want another done just ask for me in the shop."

" Will do. Thanks Carl, they're amazing." I thanked, hopping off the chair. Suddenly, to my shock, Carl wrapped me in a hug for a second or two before I and joined Eric, who was glaring hatefully at Carl. " I'm done. Now what is it that you want?" I turned my full attention to Eric.

" Follow me." Eric said gruffly, leading me out of the shop and down a few quiet corridors. By the time he stopped in the middle of nowhere, I had no idea to where we actually were.

" What are we going here?" Eric was beginning to shift uncomfortably as he turned to face me.

" Are you friends with that guy?" Eric questioned, his face wiped of all emotion but his eyes seemingly filled with concern.

" I guess... He was the guy who monitored my aptitude test." For some reason I felt the need to explain myself to Eric. " Is that what you brought me down here to ask?" This was all very confusing and mind-consuming.

" No. I brought you down here to warn you." Eric responded. " He clearly wants to be more than friends."

" What?" I snapped. " No he doesn't... And even if he did then why would that be any of your business?"

" Because he's dangerous... You shouldn't be making any wrong decisions during your initiation. Your focus should be on training."

" My decisions have nothing to do with you. Anyway, isn't everyone at Dauntless dangerous in some way?" I could feel the anger rising within me and I attempted to retain it down. Another repeat of this afternoon was something I definitely didn't want. " Your excuse was pathetic, Eric, and I need to get back to my friends. So if you don't mind, I'm leaving."

Eric caught my hand as I turn and I tried my hardest to ignore the tingling feeling that then shot up my arm. " You don't even know where you're going."

" I'm sure I'll find my way just fine." I tried to pull my hand out of his but he didn't let go.

" I'll take you." Eric sighed in annoyance. Rolling my eyes, I allowed Eric to lead me forward by my end before he finally dropped it. We didn't speak another word to each other for a couple of moments; both of us were silently seething.

" He almost killed his ex-girlfriend." Eric's voice interrupted my irritated thoughts, sending a cold chill through me.

" He what?" My voice was quieter this time, shocked and chilled by what Eric had just revealed. When I'd met Carl, he seemed like an incredibly nice person for a Dauntless. I remember thinking at the time that if I knew him better we could probably be friends. Now that thought seemed horrific and terrifying.

" Do you need me to repeat it again?" Eric snapped, his eyes ashen and still filled with concern.

" When?" I asked. " What did he do?"

" It was a few weeks ago. According to Max, they were having an argument about something and he said something to her that she didn't like, so she slapped him. He then punched her back and knocked her out in a single blow, she then fell backwards and hit her head on the corner of a table behind. He left her then and didn't report it. Then her friends found her still unconscious a day later. Turns out she's in a coma and has a broken jaw. The doctors say she's lucky to be alive, but they don't know if she'll ever wake up." Eric explained, glancing at me every so often as he explained. Horror slowly filled my expression more and more as he continued, and I shivered at the very thought of it.

" I can't believe it... I didn't know..." I whispered, frowning as I thought of the poor girl who Carl had almost killed.

" Of course you didn't know It's not exactly the greatest pick up line, is it?" Eric scoffed, slowly down a little so that we were walking side by side; his arm was now continually brushing against hers. " The whole thing is being kept quiet since it was decided in the trial that he's allowed to stay in Dauntless and won't be forced factionless." Eric looked angry about this.

" Clearly you're not happy about that," I commented, watching his reaction.

" He's dangerous. He's capable of doing it again." I could see that something was bothering Eric but I didn't know what.

" I agree."

" The very thought of-" Eric instantly stopped himself a shook his head, looking down at his feet awkwardly. I was about to question what he was about to say, before we arrived back at the shop. Christina, Al, Will and Tris were all waiting for me outside. " Your tattoos and piercings are great," Eric complimented in a whisper, before walking off without even a goodbye.

" Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to meet us here 10 minutes ago!" Christina protested, frowning as Eric left my side and walked away.

" What did Eric want?" Al asked.

" Sorry I'm late. Eric was asking what the doctor had said about my injuries and whether the doctor had said that I'm okay to fight tomorrow. We left the shop because it was too loud,"

" I like your tattoo." Tris finally changed the subject and I smiled as I saw the exact same birds on Tris' chest. We'd gotten similar tattoos.

" I see we have the same taste. Your's is pretty too." And with that, we all headed back to our room talking about each other's tattoos and piercings.

* * *

_**Third Person P.O.V**_

" Initiates gather round!" Eric ordered, interrupting the training session that Four was leading. Since many of them were intimidated by Eric after the incident with Christina, everyone hurried to gather round the fighting ring, hoping it wasn't them next who was going to find. " Rianna and Drew, in the ring."

All eyes turned on Rianna and Drew as they made their way onto the raised fighting area. Although Rianna was feeling slightly frightened, she'd already hidden it with a look of determination. Eric already had his eyes on Rianna, watching her carefully and hoping that she would win and wouldn't get too hurt.

" Fight!" Eric announced and Drew instantly took the first move. Rianna wasn't thrown off by this and instantly dodged out of the way, crouching low on her feet and widening her stance so she could get good balance. It was exactly what Eric had taught her. Drew went to punch her again, but Rianna quickly noticed that he left a slight gap in his defense when he punched. In one swift movement, Rianna ducked as Drew attempted to punch her again and aimed a powerful jab at his nose. A crack and a cry of pain echoed around the room and blood seeped from Drews nose onto Rianna's hands. Drew stumbled backwards, for a moment dazed by what had happened. Using this to her advantage, Rianna jabbed him in the neck with her elbow and used her right arm to knock him to the floor. Practically pouncing on him, Rianna was about to throw another punch before Drew's hands locked around her neck, choking her for a brief moment. Drew threw his head against hers, making sure to hit directly where Rianna had, had a new piercing. A cry of pain, as the mental pierced further into her skin, sounded from her lips, and Drew took this short advantage by rolling her over so that he was now on top of her. She wasn't quick enough to recover and, soon later, Drew was throwing punch after punch at her, making sure to aim at her nose and new piercing.

" That's enough!" Eric shouted as he saw Rianna go unconscious. Drew didn't give off the impression that he was stopping any time soon and he continued to punch even after Eric's order. This angered Drew a lot and the sight of him continually punching Rianna and causing more blood to seep from her face angered him. A lot.

" I said that's enough!" Eric was seething with rage as he stepped up into the ring. Everyone was watching by this point with wide eyes and Eric could hear Peter and Molly laughing in the background. Will, Al, Christina and Tris had all raced to the front as soon as they saw Drew fighting unfairly.

Before Drew could punch Rianna again, Eric grabbed the arm that Drew had pulled back to prepare to throw again, and yanked him to his feet, spinning him around.

" You never disobey an order or fight once you've been told it's ended, initiate!" Eric snarled at Drew, his voice that loud that it bounced off of the walls and echoed around the room. A gasp filled the air as Eric swung his arm back and punched Drew in the side of the head, causing him to fall unconscious.

" Four, lower his ranking while I take Rianna to the infirmary." Eric growled in annoyance. His eyes then landed on Rianna and he had to force his expression to stay emotionless as he scooped her unconscious body from the floor and carried her, in his arms, to a doctor.

This had never happened before. Eric had never personally taken an initiate to the hospital before. But he was too furious and full of malice to stay in the Training room and he knew very well that, if he didn't know that Rianna was going to be okay, then she would just be in his thoughts even more.

Eric had no idea what had been happening since Rianna came to Dauntless. He was kinder towards her than anyone else. In many ways, he liked her. Maybe this change was for the better rather than worse...


	9. Chapter 9

_**Team Work**_

I awoke with a stiff groan. The ache was already annoying, though I could feel that my body was still partially numb from pain medication. My eyes fluttered and took a few moments to readjust to the new light - especially the white walls that I was not use to. This was the second time I'd been in the infirmary in Dauntless. Unfortunately, this time it was much worse. My whole face ached and my head was pounding. As well as injuries from my last fight, I could now feel the injuries from my first fight again. Another fight lost... Another step closer to being factionless.

" Finally. It's taken you long enough to wake up." The sound of Eric's voice shocked me, and I instantly pulled myself up into a sitting position on the bed, wincing as I did so. Eric frowned as he saw this.

" What are you doing here?" I questioned, rubbing my eyes and wincing again. It didn't take long for me to realize that the pain was coming from my eyebrow piercing, a place where Drew had hit continually.

" You should never have got that piercing. Drew used it to his advantage." Eric scolded, his eyes narrowing in anger.

" What I do and don't is none of your business."

" It is my business when you're knocked out for a whole day!" A whole day? Had it really been that long? How much had I missed? Would my ranking be lower because I've missed training? All the thoughts clouding my mind only caused my head to hurt more.

" A day!?" Confusion overtook my expression and Eric's eyes locked on me. " What did Drew do to me? Last time I was out for barely an hour!"

" He cheated." Eric announced, his voice hardening as he spoke. These words seemed to anger him. " Thus meaning his rankings will be lowered and your's won't be affected."

" Cheated? What did he do?" The only memories I had left of yesterday were hazy and I found myself not wanting to think about them, since it only hurt my head more.

" He continued the fight after orders were given for him to stop. He received punishment for his lack of being able to follow orders." Eric explained, while glancing over at a bed across the room from my own. I found myself following his gaze and my eyes caught onto an unconscious Drew, who now had a large bruise across the side of his jaw.

" Punishment? What happened to him? He's been knocked out!" I exclaimed. What I saw horrified me as I knew that had definitely not been done by me.

" I knocked him out. An eye for an eye," Eric stated simply, unnerved and not at all remorseful about it.

" Because that's how Dauntless works..." I reminded myself in a sarcastic whisper, holding back from rolling my eyes. What Eric did seemed unfair to me, but I didn't over worry about it since it was Drew and I despised him. " How much of training have I missed?"

Eric rolled his eyes. " Not much. You missed another days worth of fights and exercises."

" Is Tris okay? She seemed pretty beat up from her fight with Peter..." I asked. My mind was working in logical stages of importance - I was finding out everything I needed to know in the order of the things that my mind worried about most.

" No. She's out," Eric answered.

" What do you mean she's out?" I demanded. Those words could mean a few different things.

Eric sighed before responding, " She's Factionless now. She's lost 2 out of 3 fights and she's not fit enough to take part in the next important stage of physical training."

" So? I've lost 2 out of 3 fights! I don't exactly hear you telling me that I'm out!" I exclaimed angrily. " What? Just because she's a stiff means that she gets worse treatment than everyone else?"

" She's a stiff, she was never going to make it. Stop being so sensitive about it." Eric's eyes hardened and his voice deepened. " The reason why you're not out is because Drew cheated. But you're not taking part in the next stage, you need your rest."

" What!?" I shook my head and frowned. " No! I'm awake now I'm fine! When is the next stage, anyway?"

" It's tonight and I'm telling you, you're not fit enough," Eric stated, more dominantly this time.

" I don't care. You don't get to decide what I can and can't do." I glared at him.

" As your Dauntless Leader-"

I interrupted him," Your status doesn't matter. Since I'm still an initiate, I have to take part in _all _stages of training. I'm not missing anything else! For all I know, I could still be below the line! I need the highest rank possible!"

" Why are you so determined to get yourself even more hurt?!" Eric snarled furiously, storming out of infirmary before I got a chance to reply. Luckily, no one had been around to hear the argument between me and Eric.

I sighed deeply as soon as Eric was gone. For some reason, I hated arguing with him. Though it annoyed me that he was trying to keep me away from training - it was like he wanted me to fail. But then why would he help me improve my shooting and fighting skill if he wanted me to fail? None of it made sense. His change in demeanor was beginning to constantly confuse me; one minute I felt as though I could trust him, the next I felt as if he was exactly like his father. It seemed that his parents had, had a large affect on his personality. Right now he was treading on a fine line with being himself and exactly like his father.

* * *

Later on that day, I climbed out of bed and headed over to where Tris was laying. Earlier on, Christina, Al and Will had visited us all, announcing to Tris that she was out and telling me when the next stage begun. I found it extremely unfair that Tris had been named Factionless before the rankings had even been given out properly. From my own understanding, it seemed that it all had something to do with Eric and I didn't like it. He had to be evil to everyone but me... Why?

" Tris! Come on we need to go," I ordered her, masking the throbbing pain from the deep bruises on my face and back.

" What? What are you talking about, Rianna?" Tris was instantly confused and I rolled my eyes at her. The one thing that I had found myself doing a lot recently - which I should definitely not be doing - was defying Eric's orders. I knew that nobody else would dare do it. But so far, defying him, had worked out better for me. So why stop?

" You're coming with me to get on the train for the next field trip tonight, it's part of training," I explained, hoping that Drew wouldn't wake up. It pleased me that he wouldn't get to take part. It served him right. " Come on, before we miss it!"

" B-But I'm factionless..." Tris stated sadly, avoiding looking me in the eye.

Again, I rolled my eyes. " Who cares? Show bravery by defying an order. Trust me, it will work."

" Okay." Tris beamed at me after a few moments of contemplation, hurriedly following me out of the infirmary and towards the exit to Dauntless. It didn't take long for us to run there and my aches and pains were bearable enough. By the time we arrived, everyone else had already made it onto the train. I pushed myself into sprint to dash after the train, while Tris followed behind me.

" Come on! We're almost there!" My voice seemed to alert Four, who was already inside the train. He looked down to see me sprinting and preparing to jump, then he looked back at Tris. Strangely, his eyes stayed on her and he seemed worried. Before I had chance to dwell on this further, however, I'd already launched myself onto the train, surprising a few people.

" You're not supposed to be here," Eric growled as he caught sight of me, pulling me to the side so nobody else noticed our dispute.

" Tough. I'm here and so is Tris. You either kick us both out and just let us take part in this damn training session!" My annoyance was audible in my voice and Eric stared at me after I'd said this. His eyes seemed full of different emotions; frustration, worry and anger. I couldn't tell which was more prominent.

" Fine, stay. But this is the last time you get to defy an order," Eric seemed to be holding back a smirk and I scoffed at him, knowing he was being truly serious. I knew that he knew that I would always do it again, no matter what he said.

" Right... You keep telling yourself that," He let out a small chuckle at my answer, before his attention turned elsewhere. Like earlier today, I followed his gaze and noticed Tris in Four's arms. It looked as if Four had just helped Tris onto the train like Eric had helped me on the first day.

" Are your injuries okay?" Eric asked, switching his attention back to me. His eyes lingered over the bruises on my face, frowning deeply as he did.

" I'm fine. Quit worrying." I inaudibly gasped in horror as I realised what I had just sad. Guiltily, I looked up at Eric and saw his eyes glaze over with protest and denial.

" I wasn't-" He began to state angrily.

" I know, I know. Slip of the tongue..." I told him quickly, shaking my head and looking down at the floor. " Sorry." Before the conversation could get any more awkward, Christina rushed over to me with Will and Al.

" You made it! We thought you weren't supposed to come..." Christina said, grinning widely at me.

" Who cares? Tris came with me too, we're both staying for training and Tris is back in," I replied, shrugging simply.

" How did you do that?" Al asked incredulously, while both Christina and Will, too, looked confused.

" I'm just incredibly amazing like that," I winked at him and grabbed Tris' hand, pulling her away from Four and into our group conversation. For the rest of the journey, we all chatted animatedly. Today had been a bit of a downer, but things had brightened up now that some of our problems had been solved. We all mostly talked about what we were going to be doing tonight and why we had to do it in the dark. Our theories ranged from ridiculous to reasonable.

" Initiates!" I, like everyone else, turned at the sound of Eric's booming voice.

" Tonight we will be playing capture the flag. For those of you who have never placed, the whole point of the game is to capture the flag of the opposing team. Once one team captures the others flag, the game is over and that team wins. Each team will have an even mix of initiates. This is Dauntless tradition, so I suggest you take it seriously," Four explained, his voice sounding softer than Eric's. It always seemed to and I couldn't understand why.

" Weapons," Eric dropped a bag on the floor that had guns pointing out of it. The guns obviously weren't real and they looked very similar to paintball guns.

" You call that a gun?" Molly smirked at Peter. Seeing there group was strange since they had a member missing. I smirked as I spotted Eric pick up a gun, knowing exactly what he was going to do. Molly dropped to the ground, screaming in pain as Eric shot her with the gun, not hesitating at all.

" Neurostim-dart," Eric announced, smirking as he saw Molly in pain. " It simulates the pain of a real gun shot wound but it will only last a few minutes." I stared at the gun in shock. I knew it wouldn't be a real gun but I wasn't expecting this. Fear was bubbling within me and I tried hard to push it away. Fear was no accepted in Dauntless. " Four and I are captains. Lets split the transfers."

" You pick first," Eric smirked triumphantly as Four said this.

" Edward," Of course Eric went for the strongest candidate first. Edward made his way over to Eric, picking up one of the guns.

" I pick the stiff." There were a few murmurs of surprise as Four said this and Tris looked extremely confused. I patted her back with a smile and gave her a little shove towards Four. Christina smirked at me as I did this.

" Picking the weak ones so you'll have someone to blame when you lose?" Eric smirked and I rolled my eyes. The tension that was constantly between both Eric and Four was annoying and pointless. Usually it was just Eric being too competitive.

" Something like that," A complete lie.

" Rianna." I looked up in surprise at Eric who had an emotionless expression. Hiding my confusion, I headed over towards Eric, joining Edward without another word. Eric didn't even make eye contact with me. However, when I glanced over at Four, I noticed the confusion marked on his expression too.

The rest of the team was picked in a matter of minutes and I was disappointed to see that all of my friends were on the opposite team. Eric had clearly only chosen people with strength. That's what didn't make sense to me - why had he chosen me? I was from amity. I probably had a low ranking. Why did he have to be so confusing? All those years ago he seemed like such a straightforward person to me; a guy who was made to hide his kindness since he had horrid parents. Now he seemed to be changing every day. One minute he was ruthless Eric, the next he was helping me.

" Hey, I'm sorry about our fight. We're cool, right?" I blinked up at Edward since I had been lost in my own thoughts. Eric was now picking from the Dauntless born.

" Yeah, we're cool," I smiled at him gratefully. Edward had always been a good person; a kind dauntless rather than arrogant, like Peter.

" Psh, she's only saying that so you don't kick her ass again like everyone else," Molly laughed at Peter's comment and I instantly sent a glare to him.

" Oh yeah? Where is your friend Drew by the way? I noticed he was missing..." I said innocently, smirking as I saw Peter's angry expression.

" Apparently it's not only me who doesn't like people messing your pretty little face up," Peter winked and I didn't reply. The reason being, that I had no idea whether that was sarcastic or not. It hadn't sounded it, but it was Peter; sarcasm was his defense mechanism.

" Who's messed who's face up?" A bubbly, deep voice interrupted the, now, silent conversation. Looking up, I met dark, enigmatic brown eyes and a head of dark brown hair. The boy to the side of me was strongly built and he had a sort of boyish charm to him that I couldn't describe. He already seemed like one of those guys that girls swooned over. " Ah, your the one with the messed up face. Was this guy bothering you about it?"

" Yep, I'm messed up face girl. You really know how to compliment a girl, don't you?" He smirked at my comment, a turned more towards me. " Oh, and Peter's nothing I can't handle myself, thanks."

" Wow. Where are you from? Don't tell me your another Candor transfer..." He rolled his eyes.

" Amity. Not that it's any of your business." I almost laughed as complete and utter shock formed on his expression.

" Even bigger wow. If you didn't look so serious I'd think you were lying. You were the one that caught everyone's attention on choosing day?"

" The one and only," I rolled my eyes.

" Well, amity, I'm Blake. Do I have the honour in getting to know your name?" Blake asked, smirking. For some reason, I could tell I liked him already - not in the boyfriend type way, but a friend type way. He seemed nice enough and his comments were actually quite amusing.

" Rianna." I told him, breaking eye contact as I looked up at Eric, who was now handing out guns. Eric's eyes lingered longer on me and he had a deep frown on his face.

" Do you know how to use a gun?" Blake asked sarcastically as Eric handed me a gun, before abruptly turning away from me. I frowned at Eric, slightly confused.

" Well why don't you be my test dummy?" I turned back to Blake and he laughed at my comment.

" No need, I-" Blake was about to continue before Eric's voice cut him off.

" My team!" Eric shouted, gaining all of our attention. " Get ready to jump."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Brave Or Weak**_

After everyone had jumped from the train, Eric lead everyone away from Four's team and towards an abandoned building. It was now completely dark outside and the only light was from the working street lights above. The place we were in didn't really seem like an arena like I first imagined, it was just an abandoned part of our city - once full of life, now a training ground. Blake walked by my side, looking down at me every so often as if he was about to speak. However, for the whole of the short walk, neither of us spoke. When Eric stopped, we all gathered around him and he glanced over each of us.

" There's a reason why I picked you all," Eric said seriously. " Now get thinking, what's the plan?"

" Why do we need a plan? We're stronger than them all anyway, it's an easy fight," Peter smirked and looked around for agreement. A few others nodded with him, but I just glared at him.

" So when you finally get your head out of your ass, I think it's time we came up with a better plan," I snapped, gaining a small chuckle from Blake next to me.

" What do you suggest then, ditzy?" Peter asked, rolling his eyes.

" Ditzy? That's what they call you?" Blake said that a little too loudly as there was no other conversation going on around us.

" Enough," Eric growled. " I didn't pick you all to sit around and talk. I picked you out to fight, now what is the plan?"

" I think we should find high ground so we can see them coming. We should hide the flag in a place where we can protect it from above, that way we can see them coming and it won't allow them to use a surprise attack against us," I voiced my thoughts, keeping my eyes on Eric. " Then we split into two teams; one goes to find the flag, the others protect our own."

" And you're our leader now?" Peter scoffed.

" Do you have a better idea?" I snapped back.

" We all split up. We leave the two strongest to defend the flag, then we attack the others from different angles." Peter gained a few nods and I gritted my teeth, quickly looking around to explain my point more.

" There," I pointed to the large, rusty ferris wheel that stood tall over everything else. " We hide it at the top, one or two of us can go up there, the rest staying to defend, would stay at the bottom. It would be much harder to shoot the people at the top,"

" And you expect two of us to go up that rusty old thing and risk our lives for a stupid game? Think again, ditzy."

" What? Are you scared, Peter?" I watched as his eyes hardened in anger. " I volunteer myself to do it. If I'm on my own, then fine."

" I guess it's my turn to volunteer too. It's a great idea," Blake smiled down at me, winking.

" It's too dangerous." Eric snapped, glaring at Blake for a moment before his face became wiped of emotion again. His eyes turned to me. " That thing's been there for years, it could break any minute. But if you're foolish enough to go up by yourself, then feel free. Meanwhile, we'll all find a high vantage point. The bell tower is the perfect place."

" What are we waiting for then?" An angry looking girl glared at me, crossing her arms over her chest. " Let's stop listening to the amity and get up there!"

Eric took a final look at me before leading us all in the direction towards the bell tower. Rolling my eyes, I followed silently, ignoring the glares the Dauntless girl was still giving me. She was what you could call the complete opposite of an amity; more piercings than I could count, short, choppy black hair with part of it shaved off at the left side. She fit the Dauntless part perfectly. The only thing missing was lots of tattoos, but I guessed that she just had ones that I couldn't see.

" Good to know I'm making Dauntless-born friends," I said quietly to Blake beside me. He chuckled at me and smiled at the girl.

" Who, Flare?" Blake asked and I nodded. " Nah, she's like that with all the transfer initiates. She hates that guy Peter too, even though they seem pretty similar."

" A girl version of Peter?" I didn't like the sound of that.

" An angrier, less talkative one," Blake explained. " She's cool once you get to know her. She hasn't always been like this. She changed after her mother died a few years ago." I suddenly felt a wave of sympathy for the girl who quite obviously hated me. We had nothing in common but that - we'd both lost a family member, and it had changed our lives forever.

" That I can relate too,"

" I'm sorry," Was all Blake said, his eyes furrowing slightly. I was about to say something else before I realised we were directly outside the bell tower. It was a large building with a visible bell at the top of it. The structure was strong but a little too plain in sight for my liking.

" This is where we'll hide the flag. What next?" Eric demanded, looking around all of us again. His angry gaze stayed on Blake longer than the rest of us.

" We'll split into-" I began.

" Just stop talking, amity." Flare snarled, glaring at me. Other Dauntless born's around her smirked and so did Peter and Molly. Surprisingly, Edward was keeping quiet. For some reason he looked a little out of place with us all. I figured it was because Myra was on the other team. " Me, Blake, Gabe and Molly will go and try and find the flag. The rest of you will guard it. Ditzy can be the one who can go up into the bell tower since she clearly isn't the best shooter here,"

" Looks are a deception. I can always prove my shooting skills by using them on you if you wish," I smirked at her, but she kept her stance firm and face expressionless. " But fine. If you want me up there, then I'll go." Walking towards Eric, who had his eyes on me again, I snatched the flag from his hands and stormed into the building. Nobody filled me into the building. It was hard to see but my eyes soon adjusted and I soon managed to clamber my way up the stairs.

Within minutes I was at the top and I climbed onto the railing around the bell. Taking a deep breath, I steadied my balance and reached out to the top of the bell. My breathing picked up as I began to feel more and more helpless, but I soon had the flag wrapped around and tied to the top of the bell. This way it would be much harder for the other team to get it when they managed to defeat us; it was something that was bound to happen because our hiding place was too out in the open.

I pushed myself away from the bell and steadied myself on the railing again. Bending down, I grasped the railing with my left hand and lowered my left foot to the ground. As I was doing so, I felt familiar hands on my waist. A gasp escaped my lips as the person lifted me off of the railing and lowered me down to the ground.

" Careful, you're a walking disaster." I recognised Eric's voice immediately and quickly hid the smile that played on my lips. For some reason I was happy that he was up here with me.

" Gee, thanks." I rolled my eyes at him and tried to ignore the fact that his hands lingered on my waist longer than they should have done. It was only now that I realised that he was standing closer to me than what would be classed as a 'normal' distance.

" I see you're making friends well," Eric said, studying me careful. I found it strange how I didn't cower from his gaze like other's did.

" Flare isn't exactly someone I'd like to be friends with. She obviously thinks I'm just a weak amity like you do," I hid the disappointment from my voice.

" If I still thought you were an amity then I wouldn't have picked you. I only pick the best." I frowned while Eric kept a straight expression. Was that a compliment? The only compliment Eric had ever given me was when he'd told me my tattoos and piercing were nice, but I thought then that he was joking. This couldn't be a joke...

" Why did you pick me? I would have fit in much better with the other team. For starters they wouldn't hate me there," I responded.

" Clearly not everyone hates you here." Eric's voice sounded slightly bitter as he said this. He looked away from a moment as a flash of anger passed over him. When he made eye contact with me again, he continued," You're a good shooter. I taught you, so you must be."

" I'd say thanks, but isn't that slightly vain?" I was surprised as a small chuckle escaped my lips.

" Just keeping up my reputation," Eric replied.

" And what is this reputation of yours?" I couldn't help but expression my curiosity. The feeling of wanting to know someone more was foreign to me. Making friends was a new concept to me, but I had never really been truly bothered about discovering everything about Christina or Tris. Eric, however, was a different story.

Eric scoffed." Like you don't know." I smirked at his comment, but then instantly cringed as a screeching noise sounded. My head snapped towards the source of the noise and I saw the Ferris Wheel moving. Like Eric had explained earlier, it hadn't worked in years which is why it would make such a noise.

I turned to Eric and smiled as I shook my head. " I guess it doesn't work after all, right?"

" They've seen us." Eric looked shocked, but it was soon hidden. Suddenly he pulled me by my arm towards a wall in the left corner. This corner and the right one would hide us from any onlookers from below.

" A warning would be nice," I snapped in a whisper, trying to ignore the feeling of Eric's body pressed against my side.

" Get your gun ready. We'll shoot people from the top to help the others. If you see _anyone _shoot at you, move behind here as quick as you can." I nodded as Eric told me this in a stern yet careful tone. Once he'd seen my agreement, he moved away from me and darted towards the opposite corner.

" Eric why are you up here with me?" I asked in the quietest voice I could that still allowed him to hear me. Once he was in his position, he looked up at me and stared for a few moments - it was like he was contemplating whether to answer. He opened his mouth to speak before turning away again.

" Now is not the time to have a nice little chat. Stay quiet," Eric snapped, not looking at me again.

The only sound I could now hear was the sound of my own breathing. It was quite unnerving and I found myself fidgeting to stop the tension building up in me. Holding what looked to be a real gun in my hands made the whole situation feel oddly real. My brain kept reminding me that I was now capable of hurting someone for no reason at all - that I _had_ to hurt someone for no reason. While I stood waiting in my hidden place, I found myself wondering whether this was the right thing to do. How was this just a game when any shot could actually hurt someone?

_Bang. _A gun shot interrupted my thoughts. One was followed by lots more and I heard shouting from down below. My thoughts were broken away and I hid them at the back of my mind, realising that I was thinking too amity-like again. I was Dauntless now. _Dauntless. _No. A part of my thoughts reminded me that I wasn't. _Divergent. _However, now was not the time to doubt myself.

I held my gun up ready and launched myself from my hiding place, shooting at the first person that came in sight. After my eyes had adjusted to the darkness again, I realised that I'd just shot Will in the arm. Horror spread across my face before I hid again, deeply breathing. That was the first time I'd ever shot someone before. It hadn't been as awful as I'd first believed it would be. The thrill of it frightened me.

" Stop hesitating. You're better than that," Eric's deep tone reminded me as, he too, hid again behind the wall. I looked at him for a second, not really realizing that fear was covering my expression. Taking a deep breath, I nodded at him. At the same time, we launched back into action.

This time I stayed out of cover longer and shot at things that moved. I paid no attention to their faces as I shot at people coming out of cover. What shocked me most, however, was the first dart that came shooting towards me. It had come close to hitting me and I hid quickly. Eric took a quick glance at me as this happened before concentrating on shooting again. Quickly, he aimed at the source that the dart had come from.

" Careful," Eric warned me as he hid again. After I nodded, I went again.

The shooting seemed to go on for longer than I'd wanting and it had now began to dawn on me that we were losing. More darts had come closer to hitting me and I now knew they were coming from Four and Tris, who were hiding well. All but one of our defenders down below had fallen because of the continuous darts had hit them. What didn't surprise me, was that Four and Eric were aiming for each other a lot and it was obvious they were both determined to hit each other with a dart.

I jumped as a groan of pain came from Eric and he fell to the floor. Frowning, I hid behind the wall again and watched as Eric clamped his mouth shut to stop himself from making more noise. Two darts had hit him in the chest and stomach and his face contorted in anger. It was obvious by the anger on his face that it had been Four who'd hit him. I'd been too occupied with Eric to realise that someone was heading up.

" They're coming, take my gun." Eric threw his gun to me and I looked over the railing again, my eyes scanning below. My eyes soon caught onto a hiding Four and I shot at him with both guns, missing him only because he'd hidden himself. I huffed in anger as I shot the one in my left hand again and nothing came out of it. Throwing it away from me, I turned to the noise behind me.

Surprisingly, Tris emerged from the stairs and quickly shot at me. Trying to repress the feeling of how wrong it felt to shoot my own friend, I turned away from the shot and shot at her. Unlike before, it didn't frustrate me that I missed. Repeatedly, we shot at each other for a few moments, both avoiding each others shots. Strangely, at the same time, both of our guns ran out of darts and we both stared at each other for a single second. Tris dived towards the flag and I pushed myself forwards towards her, preparing myself for a fight that I didn't want to happen. It didn't take long for me to convince myself, but before I knew it I was falling to the ground and crying out in pain. I'd been shot twice by none other than Four.

" Damn it." I heard Eric growl in annoyance as Tris grabbed the flag and started cheering in celebration, waving it to show the others below. " This is on you, amity."

Disappointment swam through me as Eric said this. He was blaming me for our loss - a loss that he hated because of his over competitiveness. I was back to being a weak girl from amity and it hurt me that he thought this yet again. I wouldn't be surprised if he lowered my rankings more than the others because of this...


	11. Chapter 11

_**Flying**_

" Need cheering up?" I was surprised by Blake's voice. For the journey back to Dauntless, I'd avoided Eric and I'd been on my own the majority of the time. Tris, Christina, Will and Al had been too busy celebrating to bother trying to find me and there was nobody I particularly wanted to talk to in my own team. I still felt guilty for the loss and I didn't know why. It was annoying me and it wouldn't go away. Why did Eric have to make me feel so guilty when it wasn't all my fault? _You could have shot better. You let a stiff beat you. _I pushed the last thought away. Tris was _not _a stiff. Just like I wasn't a weak girl from amity.

" Is it that obvious?" I let out a scoff, looking down towards the floor.

" I know exactly what will get that smirk back on your face again," Blake said, smiling down at me. I hadn't really paid much attention to his height before; now that I did, I realised he was a good foot taller than me.

" And what might that be?" I asked, looking back up at his dark eyes.

" Follow me." Blake gestured and began walking in the direction where a lot of Dauntless-borns were running. Squinting my eyes, I spotted Tris at the back of them all. What was she doing with them all? " It's a Dauntless initiation ritual. Usually transfers don't get to do it until they're actually in Dauntless, but where's the fun in following the rules?"

" Another ritual?" I fake groaned, but this time I couldn't hide the smile off of my face. The reason why I'd been down in the first place was because I felt like a weak amity again - a Dauntless initiation ritual would definitely change that.

" Oh quit complaining, whiner. It's fun, trust me." Blake's grin grew and so did mine. After a moment of comfortable silence, Blake darted off in the same direction as the other Dauntless and I followed. What convinced me to look backwards, I don't know, but when I did, I met Eric's steel grey eyes. I looked back for longer than necessary and, when I finally realised that we'd held eye contact for longer than normal, I turned away.

It didn't take me and Blake long to catch up with the other Dauntless and, before I knew it, we were all running up countless amount of stairs. The adrenaline consumed me and I somehow managed to ignore the burning in my calves. I couldn't help the giggles falling from my lips and, every so often, Blake looked behind, laughing too. Soon later, we burst through a door and out onto, what looked to be, a rooftop. My eyes instantly scanned my surroundings; the view was inexplicably amazing. From the top of the roof, I could see for miles. I'd never been high up this far in my life. Now, I wish I'd managed to find a place like this sooner.

" Alright! It's ready, who wants to go first?" An unfamiliar man asked, who looked around the same age as Four and Eric. Once someone had replied, I joined the rest of the group with Blake, taking a place next to Tris.

" Hey, what are you doing up here?" Tris asked, panting deeply as she spoke and looking thrilled.

" I could ask you the same question," I winked cheekily and she laughed at me. " Tris, this is Blake. I met him during the team game."

" You're the first jumper girl right? The abnegation girl?" Tris nodded at Blake and smiled. It shocked me that he hadn't called her the stiff. Then again, Blake hadn't seemed like that type of person when I'd met him, never mind now. " Hey Uriah."

" Hey Blake. You brought someone up here too?" The boy who had brought Tris up here turned to me with a grin. He had darker skin that most people here but his features were soft and his eyes were warm. Immediately I sensed that I could trust him. In many ways, I would class him as cute. Somehow, he still appeared Dauntless though.

" I'm Rianna. Blake brought me up here and failed to mention what we're actually doing," I told Uriah, who chuckled and glanced at Blake.

" Uriah. Take a look over there, that's what we're doing." Uriah and Blake both laughed at mine and Tris' expression as we spotted the zipwire. Just as I looked, the person who was strapped in was pushed and flew down the zipwire. My eyes widened as the person went from being full sized to a dot in the air.

" That... looks amazing!" I exclaimed, bouncing on my feet. Heights had never been one of my fears and, from the tightness of the straps, I could tell that I wasn't going to fall. I'd just have to avoid looking down.

" Want a go? You're not gonna freak are you?" Blake laughed at my expression as he said this.

" Freak? Me? No way. Let's go!" I grabbed Blake's hand a pulled him forward through the crowd. People stared at us as we did, but I just ignored them. I couldn't help but notice Flare's glare on us both as she spotted us, but I instantly brushed it off as I found my way to the front.

" You up next?" The guy who was strapping people asked me.

" Hell yeah!" Blake laughed at me as I let go of his hand and rushed forward. The guy and a girl with blonde hair helped me into the staps and I kept my eyes forward to avoid looking downwards; I concentrated everything I had on the spectacular view that surrounded me.

" When you see the end pull the this break above you otherwise you'll go flying into a wall," Was the only thing the guy said to me before they pulled me backwards. " 1...2...3...GO!"

I screamed in delight as I shot forward through the air, the adrenaline pumping through me. The feeling was surreal; it was like I was truly flying through the air. None of it scared me like I'd first thought it might. Instead, I was having more fun than ever before. My own safety wasn't bothering me and, instead, all I could think about was the thrill. Sticking both of my arms out light a bird, I cheered as I flew through the middle of two buildings. The scenery changed every few seconds; one minute I was looking at a tall building, the next at the very same Ferris Wheel I'd seen earlier.

Unfortunately, the zipwire soon came to an end and I giggled as the breaks on the straps halted me in mid air. Unfamiliar people helped me down and I couldn't help but notice Four in the corner, smiling at me. It was the first time I'd seen him smile and it was kind of nice. He was obviously waiting for someone, though, as his eyes instantly strayed back to the zip wire.

No words could describe how great it felt to fly. I was eager to do it again as soon as possible.

* * *

The next morning, training began yet again. After then zipwire yesterday, me and Blake had walked back together and we'd really just become closer friends. I introduced him to Christina, Will and Al and we all ate dinner together. It had been one of the best nights I'd had so far in Dauntless, but there was one thing that spoiled it. While walking to dinner with Blake, I'd seen Jeanine Matthews - leader of Erudite - walking with Max and Eric. They were all discussing something in low voices and something had seemed off. Eric had seen me when he walked past and he seemed oddly angry. It bewildered me.

" Gather round!" I only just realised that while I had been thinking, I'd been staring at Eric. He'd noticed that I was doing this and looked confused and annoyed. Quickly, I snapped my attention to Four who had just spoken. " Today you will be learning how to throw a knife. This requires skill and patience and you will be ranked on how well you do."

" Throwing knives?" Peter laughed.

" When are we ever going to use that skill?" Molly asked rolling her eyes.

" Are you questioning me, initiate?" Four demanded, taking a few threatening steps closer towards Peter and Molly. What I found funny, was that Drew seemed to cower behind them; he hadn't been as confident sine Eric knocked him out. " Are you questioning Dauntless tradition? Because if you are... then get the hell out!"

" No, sir." Molly replied, looking down towards the ground. This seemed to be good enough for Four, even though Peter didn't say a word and still looked unaffected by what Four had said.

" Good. Now watch and learn." Everyone watched Four's demonstration in silence, as Four didn't seem in the best of moods today. Even Tris seemed uncomfortable around him - which was unusual since I'd noticed something going on between them lately. Four's demeanor only hardened as he threw the knives; it was as if he was imagining someone was that target.

" Did you enjoy the zipwire last night?" Eric's voice surprised me, but I didn't turn to look at him. I kept my eyes firmly on Four. However, I couldn't help the questions already bubbling in my mind.

" Who couldn't enjoy that?" I replied in a low whisper, making sure nobody else could hear me.

" It's the best Dauntless tradition," Eric said, shifting slightly as he looked down at me from behind.

Silence followed this for a few moments before I couldn't help but ask," What was Jeanine Matthews doing here yesterday? She's Erudite."

" What makes you think you have a right to know the answer to that?" Eric's voice had hardened; like his fathers. A cold shiver ran through me.

" I don't. Call it Curiosity," I quoted Eric from the time where he asked me about my family. The scoff and small chuckle that was Eric's response caused me to smile.

" Not that it's any of your business, but she was here to discuss Dauntless' thoughts on the government and how everything's run," Eric replied. For some reason, I could tell he wasn't lying... I hadn't been planning on him actually telling the truth, especially since anyone could hear him - though I doubted anyone actually did since everyone was concentrating on Four's demonstration.

" Are the Erudite's actually planning to take over the government?" I asked with a frown. My grudge against Erudite's would never go away. The only Erudite I didn't have a grudge again was the one standing behind me - but he was Dauntless now.

" Why do you care?" Eric snapped, his voice lowering.

" I have a particular disliking for Erudite," I answered truthfully, awaiting his reaction. Strangely, it took him a few moments to reply.

" So do I." His answer confused me, but before I could ask why, Four turned to speak to everyone again. His eyes lingered on me and Eric as if he knew that we had been speaking, but he didn't say anything.

" Grab a knife and get started. Remember that you will be ranked from this," After throwing a curious glance at Eric, I picked up a knife and headed towards a target.

Oddly, for the first time since I'd arrived in Dauntless, I was naturally good at this. It only took me a few attempts to hit the target and, before I knew it, I was hitting the center every time. I smirked to myself as I realised that I was actually good at something. This raised my hopes of being ranked above the line. Beside me, Al was struggling with the knives and he hadn't hit the target yet. Christina was staring at me and Tris, bewildered by how well we were both doing; she was trying to hit the target in between both of ours.

" How are you both so good at this? It's impossible!" Christina exclaimed, her mouth gaping open in shock as I hit the center of the target yet again.

" You'll get it, Chris. You always do," Tris said kindly.

" Yeah, yeah... show off's," Christina grumbled in reply, throwing a knife at the target and groaning as it hit the outskirts.

" Finally you're good at something. It's saves me the job of teaching you," Eric smirked and a shiver ran down my spine as I felt his warm breath on my neck.

" Not just some weak amity now, am I?" I snapped back, turning to glare at him. He didn't reply to this and just stared at me, unaffected by my glare. Though soon his signature smirk grew on his face and he turned his attention to Al beside me.

Al hadn't been doing well at knife throwing. Even though we'd been doing it for around half an hour, he hadn't managed to hit the target once. All of his knives just seemed to bounce off of the target and he was clearly becoming frustrated.

" Well?" Eric snapped at Al, spotting a knive that had just bounce off of the target and landed below my own. " What are you waiting for? Go and get it?" Al looked at me as Eric said this and I instantly stopped throwing, allowing Al to get his knife. " Did I tell you to stop throwing?"

" I'm not getting it while she's throwing knives!" Fear spread across Al's face and this only set Eric off. I worried about what he was going to do to Al.

" Why not, initiate? Are you scared?" Eric demanded, glaring at Al with a steely gaze.

" Of a knife hitting me? Yes!" Al raised his voice. I cringed as I saw Eric's now angry expression, realising that he was going to do something to Al - just like he had to Christina and Drew.

" Everyone stop!" Eric shouted. Immediately, everyone stopped throwing and turned to Eric. Strangely, Four looked slightly worried - he'd obviously been watching Al and Eric's encounter. " I want you to stand in front of Rianna's target, while she throws knives at you. If you don't do it, then you're out."

" What!?" I exclaimed, turning to Eric in shock. He wanted me to throw knives at Al? " I'm not throwing knives at my friend!"

" Well you're not just a weak amity? Right?" Eric smirked as a deep, angered frown appeared on my face.

" I'm not throwing knives at my friend! I could hurt him!" I exclaimed in protest, my hands clenching into fists. The same anger rose in me that came when Eric had hung Christina over a chasm.

" If you don't, then you're out." Eric stated in a low tone, his eyes locking with mine. We both glared at each other for a few moments, both of us waiting for the other to cave in.

" Anybody can stand in front of a target! It doesn't prove anything!" Tris interrupted us and we both turned to stare at Tris. Eric's smirk grew again.

" Got something to prove stiff? You can do it too. I'm sure Four will be happy enough to throw the knives," Four seemed reluctant but nodded, his demeanor never wavering. Tris sighed and stood in front of the target next to mine while Four stood by my side, knives ready.

" Same rules apply. Neither of you can leave until I say so," Eric explained, sounding like his father again. To say I was afraid was an understatement, but this was my only option. " The rest of you can watch and learn!" I ignored Peter and Molly's smirks behind me and I tried to ignore Christina and Will's anxious expressions - it would only make me more nervous. " What are you waiting for?"

" I'm sorry Al..." I said to him in a sad voice, bringing my hand back and aiming the knife to the right side of him. Al covered the whole of the target meaning I had to aim for the wooden board around it. I took a deep breath before releasing the knife and I winced in relief as it hit the wooden board. Al looked extremely afraid now; his eyes were squeezed tightly shut and his whole body was shaking.

" Eyes open initiate." Eric growled, watching me closely. Again, I calmed myself down as I prepared to throw the next knife. _Breath...In..._ Out...I told myself sternly, aiming the next knife to the other side of him. I let out a relieved breath again as it hit the place that I had aimed. My palms were beginning to sweat from nerves. Quickly, I wiped my forehead and bounced a little, trying to shake the nerves away from me. The more nervous I was, the more likely it was that I'd hit him.

" Oh you can do better than that Four!" Eric's angered voice only made me more nervous.

" You want me to give her a little trim?" Four asked, emotionless.

" Maybe just a little off the top," Eric smirked again. " You too, amity." I cringed when he called me amity. Again, I concentrated on Al. Unfortunately my hands started to shake as I realised I had to aim close to him. For a moment, I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. When I reopened them, I concentrated hard on the small space above Al's head. I brought my arm back and threw the knife forward, not using as much power as before. It was only after I released it, that I realised my hands had been sweaty enough for the knife to slip in the wrong direction...

" DUCK!" I screamed in panic, realising where the knife was going to hit. Luckily, Al's reactions we're quick since he was concentrating and he managed to duck out of the way before the knife hit him squarely in the face. I placed a hand over my mouth as I gasped in horror, a single tear spilling down my cheek.

" Y-You... you..." Al's voice was shaky as he stared at me in shock and everyone was silent. This only raised the tension in the room. Even Eric wasn't speaking anymore.

" I'm sorry... I'm so so sorry..." I whispered, my voice shaky and raspy. Instantly, I darted from the training room without a backwards glance, feeling everyone's eyes on me.

" Rianna!" I heard Eric's voice call after me authoritatively, but I ignored it and ran harder. For the second time, I needed a weak moment of my own. I didn't want to be around anyone any longer - I didn't want to show them what a weak little amity I really was... _I almost killed someone. _


	12. Chapter 12

_**Rankings**_

Stage 1 was over and the rankings were final. I'd survived. Though I was pretty high up, I didn't smile. For the past week I'd been haunted by what I'd done. At least this was a boost in the right direction. The only reason why I'd probably got a higher ranking was since I beat Will in my third and final fight, and I almost killed someone. It angered rankings were this:

1. Edward

2. Peter

3. Rianna

4. Will

5. Christina

6. Molly

7. Tris

8. Drew

9. Al

10. Myra

This meant that Myra was out of the running. In many ways, I felt sorry for her and Edward since they were a couple and had moved together. Now they were going to be split apart by a stupid 'new' rule. There had been lots of new rules this year and nobody seemed to know why - even Blake and other Dauntless borns. I'd made sure to ask him about it and he claimed he didn't know either. These were the least of my worries, however. This past week, I had only worried about myself.

Al hadn't spoken to me since I almost killed him. I could understand why and, to be honest, I didn't mind since I knew I deserved it. It's just, he didn't avoid me at all. In fact he'd still hung around with me, Christina, Tris and Will all week. Instead of avoiding me, he blatantly ignored me in conversations. I'd tried apologising many a time, but he didn't seem to listen. Luckily, Tris, Christina and Will were all fine with me - _too _fine. They told me that it wasn't my fault and that they would have done the same, but worse. I'm guessing this was supposed to make me feel better - it didn't. One thing that did help slightly was that Tris did try speaking with Al, to reason with him. This didn't work either - I was grateful that she tried.

I hadn't spoken to Eric since that day, even though he'd tried to speak with me. It was strange that he continued to persist, even though I'd made it clear that I didn't want to speak to him. He'd tried practically everything he could; cornering me in a corridor, giving me orders in training and he'd even gone as far as asking to speak with me while I was with my friends - though that time he sounded more authoritative. Each time, though, I'd managed to get away with few words; the main one being 'no'.

" We made it! We _all_ made it!" Christina exclaimed, smiling broadly at us all. I placed a fake small smile on my face that clearly, by Christina's worried expression, didn't meet my eyes. All week her and Tris' had continually asked whether I was alright; my reply had always been either 'fine', 'alright' or 'good'. It dawned on me that I'd rarely spoke more than a word all week. My weak moment had lasted more than a day...

" Bring on the next stage!" Everyone was surprised by my sudden exclamation, but they quickly smiled and pretended everything was normal. It felt oddly good to speak again.

" How did you do it? How the _hell _did you do it?" Peter's loud and angry voice interrupted my awakening moment. With an emotionless demeanor, I turned to face him. As usual, Drew and Molly flanked him; both of them looking as angrier as Peter did, if not more.

" What's the problem now? You got 2nd ranking. There should be no problem." I grumbled in a tired voice, keeping eye contact with Peter.

Peter took a step closer so he towered over me. " And you don't deserve 3rd, ditsy."

" Why is this my problem? I don't decide the rankings! Take this up with Four or Eric!" More people were paying attention to mine and Peter's dispute now. I could feel Eric watching me closely. For once, Christina, Tris and Will stayed away and just watched.

" Or I can just get revenge for the giant over there who's too afraid to hurt you! You know, since you threw a knife at his head!" Peter shouted this time and everyone felt silent, all eyes on me. I felt like running, just like I did when it first happened. But I'd already told myself that I could only have one weak moment. It was time for it to end.

" It's not like I aimed for his head! My hand slipped! If I wanted to kill him then I wouldn't have told him to duck!" I shouted back, acting like i wasn't unnerved by his response.

Peter chuckled sarcastically at this. " Your hand slipped? Damn ditsy, you were hitting the center all the time in the training bit!" I was no understanding why people had given me strange looks all week; I hadn't explained yet that it had been an accident, I'd just figured that people knew. " Who would have guessed? A weak little coldblooded murderer from amity." Peter smirked at me.

Rage took over. Before I could fully comprehend what I was doing, I'd pounced forward and threw a punch at Peter's face, hitting him squarely in the face. A crunch sounded through the room as Peter's blood seeped onto my hand; his nose had broken. For a moment, both me and Peter stood shocked. I stared at him with wide eyes as his face contorted with anger and I heard many gasps around the room. I took a cowardly step back as Peter took a few forward. Taking in a deep breath, I prepared myself for a full blown fight as Peter brought his wrist backwards, ready to punch.

" Think twice before you throw that punch." Eric sounded angry as he spoke while he practically hid me away from Peter. Before Peter had had a chance to punch, Eric had stepped in front of me.

" Only a coward would walk away from a fight when she's the one who started it," Peter said in response, his voice sounding oddly strong. I'd never heard Peter stand up to an instructor.

" The time for fighting is over. The rules are that there is no fighting out of the training room. Break the rules and you receive punishment," Eric said.

" I'll happily stand down and let you give her punishment then. Hopefully the same as what you did to my friend Drew." It was strange hearing Peter sound formal, but that's how he came across as he spoke to Eric. Somehow, I knew that Eric wasn't going to give me the same punishment as Drew. I felt as if he wouldn't hurt me; my mind told me a different story.

" You." Eric turned to me, grabbing my arm roughly. " You're coming with me." I looked back at my friends, who were watching me worriedly, while allowing Eric to pull me out of the room we were all in and down towards the training room. At first I thought he was going to stop in the training room, but instead he headed to a door near the bottom right corner. Upon entering, I looked around with a frown; the only thing in the room was a punch bag in the middle.

" I know, I know. I shouldn't have punched Peter in front of everyone, it's against the rules. Just get this punishment over and done with, whatever it is." I spoke first before Eric could, avoiding his eyes.

" I'm not going to punish you."

" What?" This surprised me and I couldn't help but look up at him. Something seemed to change within him as I looked him in the eye again.

" Do you want me to change my mind?" I think Eric meant to sound as intimidating as he usually did, but his voice was much softer than usual.

" No." I looked down again. " But why?"

" You don't deserve it. Peter had it coming for him. If you hadn't of done it, I would have," Eric said, his voice quietening a little as he spoke. It was odd that he never spoke as loudly when he was saying something that could be classed as nice. It was like he was afraid of saying it.

" Just punish me, for god sake!" Anger was bubbling within me and I didn't understand why. " What? Are you choosing to be nice now? Why couldn't you have chosen to be nice a few days ago? It would have saved me all this hassle!" I was shouting now. " First off I wouldn't have almost killed Al! He'd still be talking to me! Everyone wouldn't think I was a murderer! And Peter wouldn't have been angry since I would have gotten a lower ranking!"

" Is that what you think?" Eric asked, frowning as I finally stopped shouting.

" What? Think that I'm a murderer?" I responded. I hate it when I speak without thinking... " Because yeah I do!"

" What?" Shock spread across Eric's face. Taking a step closer towards me, he spoke again," You're not a murderer. Why do you think that?"

" Because if I wasn't then I would have hit where I aimed for! My hand wouldn't have slipped like it did!" I shouted, running a hand through my hair and essentially messing it up.

" Rianna, you're not a murderer. You didn't kill anyone! You wouldn't have done it if I hadn't of forced you too." Eric said calmly. His voice oddly soothed me and I looked up at him again, as he placed a hand on my arm. " What I was going to say, is that do you really think you only got ranked 3rd because of what I made you do?"

" It's obvious." I finally managed to get rid of my anger and speak like I normally would do.

" No. It's not." Eric snapped, pausing for a moment. " You got ranked third because you're good. It's Four who does the ranking. I just finalize them." I stayed silent after that and shifted uncomfortably. " Are you okay?"

" I'm fine." I avoided his eyes again as his seemed to be piercing through me; breaking through into my mind so that he could tell what I was thinking.

" Don't give me the same crap ass answer you've given all of your friends. I want to know the real answer," Eric said, taking another step closer towards me. My breathing picked up the pace and I could feel my heart racing against my chest.

" I said I'm fine!"

" Stop lying to me!" Eric was the one to shout this time, but it didn't have an angry edge to it. His eyes now bored into mine, as if they were trying to demand the answer from me.

" Why is it so important that you know!?"

" Because it's my fault!" Eric sounded like I had done earlier - I knew he was going to speak his mind even though he didn't want to. " It's my fault that you did it in the first place... And I hate that I feel guilty about it! I'm not supposed to feel guilty!" Eric moved away from me and slammed is hands against the punchbag, knocking it backwards.

" You feel guilty?" My voice was quieter this time. When he'd noticed that I'd flinched away from him, he instantly calmed down and turned around, staring at me for a moment. An uncomfortable silence loomed over us.

" You're free to leave." Eric spoke in a low tone, his voice icing over. I couldn't help but shiver as I heard this. I could already feel the fear forming in my expression - he sounded like his father again.

" Stop that," I said, moving closer towards the door. Eric looked bewildered and his eyes softened a little.

" Stop what?" He asked, sounding confused.

" Sounding like him!" I only realised I'd said too much before it was too late. My eyes widened as more confusion spread across his face. Before he could ask anymore questions, I darted from the room like a coward. Yet again.

* * *

My heart was pounding rapidly against my chest as I awoke, gasping for breath. Sweat seemed to be covering every inch of my body, making me feel itchy and uncomfortable. I couldn't wipe the image out of my mind. It was a new one, even worse than the old - a new nightmare to haunt me every night. Usually, my dreams were only haunted by Eric's dad. Now, it was like all my fears were combined into one. I'm surprised I didn't wake up screaming.

My eyes soon adjusted to the darkness and I took a quick glance at all the sleeping figures around, thankful that I woke none of them up. Checking the watch that I wore to sleep - one that I'd bought recently - I saw that the time was 2:30. There was no chance that I was going to get back to sleep after that nightmare, so instead I did the next best thing. Climbing out of bed, I threw on yesterday's clothes and grabbed the nearest torch. There had never been any rules against going out after dark, which meant this was the perfect time to walk and clear my mind.

Once I was out of the dormitory, I switched off the torch since the lights were still on in the Dauntless corridors. While walking, I tried my best to wipe the sweat off of my face and to stop my body from shaking. The only way I actually managed to stop my body from shaking was too think of other things; not the haunting nightmare that had consumed me in my sleep. I couldn't help but feel weak again as I walked - I felt like a weak little girl from getting scared by a nightmare. Why is it that I could get over the sadness of my mothers death but not the fear of her killer?

Just as I began to feel the fear rising within me again, I paused in the middle of a random corridor. I'd lost track of how far I'd actually walked, but I could hear something close by. The sound broke me away from my frightened voice, and I turned to look behind me. What made me frown, was the fact that nobody was there. I walked down towards the sound a little, frowning as I did.

" Ditsy. Fancy seeing you here." I screamed as hands wrapped around me, one over my mouth and the other around my stomach. Instantly, I thrashed in Peter's arms, trying to wrip his arms away from me. My strength could never match his, however, and he already had the upper hand. Within seconds he had me pinned against the wall, both hands around my throat.

" Get the hell off me!" I shouted, hoping that someone was in one of the rooms around the corridor.

" Shhh. We can't have you waking everyone up." Peter whispered menacingly, placing a hand over my mouth.

" What are you doing!?" I thrashed again but he still didn't release me. Just as he was about to reply, 2 other people rounded the corner. Seeing Molly there didn't surprise me, but seeing Al is what shocked me most.

" Good you caught her. Which knife do you want?" Molly held up a bunch of knives, smirking at my panicked expression.

" Hmm... let Al there choose. It's his turn for revenge after all. Kill her in the same way she almost killed him," Peter smirked over at Al who appeared panicked. What hurt me, though, was the fact that a few moments later, Al picked up a knife and headed over towards me. I thrashed around again, but soon Molly was helping Peter pin me down.

" Please... Al... No, it was an accident... _please_." I was begging and I hated it. Begging for my life like my mother did. Al seemed to hesitate as he held the knife up, close to my face.

" Look at that. Ditsy begging for her life," Peter smirked at me. I avoided his eyes and turned to Al with wide, frightened eyes. " What are you waiting for Al? Are you too afraid to do it? I will happily do it instead. I want my revenge for her breaking my nose."

" And I'll do it again if you don't get the hell of me!" I shouted into Peter's palm. Peter only smirked at my protest.

" I don't think you're in any position to be making threats, ditsy." Grabbing a knife off a Molly, Peter held it to my throat. I choked and tried not to move, knowing if I did the knife would pierce my skin.

" Let go of me! Let go!" I shouted as loud as I could once Peter had made the mistake of using the hand that was covering my mouth, to grab the knife. Instantly, Al clamped his hand over my mouth again. This time, however, I was prepared and I bit into his hand as hard as I could. A shriek of pain erupted from Al, gladly creating even more noise. Peter groaned as Al clutched his hand, blood seeping from it, before turning back to me.

" It's a shame you couldn't have lasted longer. If that dirty mouth hadn't of gotten in the way, we might have gotten along perfectly." Peter slid the knife down my cheek and I cringed in pain, keeping my mouth looked shut. Though I wanted someone to hear me, I didn't want to give Peter the satisfaction.

" Oh stop playing with her Peter before someone catches us!" Peter pressed the knife against my throat again and I squeezed my eyes shut. Just as my skin was lightly pierced, it was no longer there and I heard a groan of pain and a scream. My eyes snapped open again as I dropped to the floor, my whole body shaking again. Instantly, my eyes fell on a tall figure in front who had thrown Peter down the corridor and was now dealing with Molly. Eric...

" Eric..." I tried to speak normally but my throat hurt from the cut. It wasn't nearly as bad as the one on my cheek but it still stung. Eric turned to me as he heard my voice, ignoring Molly, Al and Peter who were running away.

" You're cut." Eric growled, his hand brushing over my cheek while his eyes scanned my neck. His eyes seemed to harden as my blood trickled onto his hands. Emerging from his crouch position, he turned to look at the running figures. " I'm going to kill them." He snarled in an almost feral tone, his fists clenching in anger. I'd never seen him this angry before... But he'd saved me. Eric had saved me again...


	13. Chapter 13

_**Truth Be Told**_

Only now could I feel the adrenaline pumping through me; keeping me from feeling the pain that I should be. All that I could concentrate on, at the moment, was my intense hyperventilating and the images of Peter narcissistic expression, when he was about to kill me once and for all. My eyes couldn't seem to concentrate on anything but the images in my mind and Eric's tall, menacing figure. By now, I had been sat there for so long that I hadn't even comprehended that Eric had already caught up to Peter, Al and Molly and returned to me. I couldn't even comprehend what he was saying to me in that very moment. All I could do was see _his _face. Though I hated myself for it, I was scared. Afraid. Alone.

" Rianna. Rianna, snap out of it!" Eric was shaking me now and it hurt. I couldn't decide whether it was the pain or loudness of his voice that finally broke me away from my thoughts, but I was now staring straight into his worried grey eyes.

" T-They..." A single sob shook through me, the first one so far. Somehow, despite feeling the need to, I'd managed to hold back my cries for the whole time, but now they were all threatening to escape - threatening to cripple me into a pool of fear.

" Don't," Eric ordered firmly, cringing as he saw a single tear slip from my eye. " Don't talk about it. Don't think about it. Can you walk?" Though I knew his anger wasn't directed at me, I couldn't help but feel a little frightened by the tone of his voice; he sounded feral almost. It was unlike anything I'd ever heard before.

" I-I..." Just the sound of his voice had oddly soothed me, however. Because of this, I managed to hold back my cries again, but this only increased my shaking and breathing. " I don't know."

Eric's eyes seemed to soften as he stole a glance at my shaking body and blood stained face. " Come here." His voice was gentle and soothing. At first I hadn't understood what he meant, but my curiosity was soon answered. Suddenly, Eric scooped me up into his arms, cradling me against his chest as if I was as light as a feather. He began to walk with ease, while holding my body tightly against his. His chest was warm and welcoming, making me feel as if I was caved with protection and comfort. The feelings surging through me were the same that had occurred when I'd first been in his arms - this time they were more powerful and lasted longer.

While he moved, I tried to concentrate on calming myself down. Before I knew it, he had walked into an unfamiliar room - that appeared very much like an apartment. I didn't focus much on the surroundings and instead on the feeling of Eric's arms around me. Soon, however, he had placed me down in a sitting position on a soft bed, leaving me feel cold again. It felt like I'd been abandoned, even though he'd only wandered mere metre's away from me.

" Eric." I found myself saying his name out loud and he turned at the sound of my voice, approaching me again. He seemed concerned. Crouching in front of me, he seemed to examine my neck.

" Does it hurt to speak? That wound needs stitching. I can either take you to the infirmary-" Eric began.

I quickly interrupted. " No... I-I'm fine..."

" They won't go near you again, Rianna, I will make sure of that... I have stitches here but I'm not as qualified-"

" Do it... I trust you." Eric frowned at my words, but quickly headed to a cupboard and pulled out a medical box. My eyes followed him as he walked away from me. It seemed that my fear rose when he moved further away; I felt much more comforted when he was around.

" This is going to hurt, but I need you to be strong and not scream. I'm surprised what happened didn't alert anyone else..." Eric muttered the last sentence and pulled out an anti-septic cloth. Both our eyes locked as he pressed the cloth against my neck wound. Instantly, I gasped in pain and gripped onto Eric's wrist. " Just a few more seconds," He whispered to me as I squeezed my eyes shut. While I tried to ignore the pain, I felt a hand brush against the side of my face, pulling my hair away from the wound on my cheek.

" W-What did you do to them?" My breathing had finally slowed but my heart was still pounding. Since I was gripping onto Eric's wrist tightly, my body wasn't as shaky anymore. Deep breathing seemed to be ridding the adrenaline from my body, meaning I could feel the pain much more now.

" They'll all be in the infirmary for the night. They're lucky they won't be in there for longer..." Eric snarled, his voice low and sharp, causing me to flinch. Finally, he pulled the anti-septic away from my wound. The stinging subsided a little, but surged again; this time in my cheek as he pressed it to the gash on there.

" Why are you doing this?" I gripped his wrist tighter as the stinging increased, but I opened my eyes so I met his concerned ones again. Only now did I notice how close to me Eric actually was. Only now could I feel his warm breath on my face and smell his musky, slightly cologne filled scent.

" Don't ask stupid questions," Eric ordered, moving his eyes away from mine and on my wounds instead.

" You... You said you wouldn't save me again..." My voice sounded raspy and weak; not the voice of the brave girl I strive to be.

" Well I did," Eric replied bluntly.

" Why?"

Eric sighed deeply and took the cloth away from my wound. I frowned at the blood covering it. " They... You were close to by apartment. Your screams woke me up... what I did was instinctive."

My frown deepened in confusion. " Instinctive?"

Eric looked through the medical box for a second before finding some stitches at the bottom. Pulling them out, he looked up at me again with innocent eyes; the same ones that I'd only see 6 years ago. " Half the time I don't know what I'm doing when I save you... I just do it."

" I know what instinctive means," I muttered, my voice still quite. My attempt at snapping at him was feeble and clearly didn't work. " Why me?"

Eric let out a scoff. " If you find an answer to that question, then tell me because I don't know."

" You're being nice to me... You're supposed to be ruthless and irredeemable... You're supposed to be like your father..." My eyes widened as I realised what I'd just said. Eric's hands instantly froze just before the stitch pierced my wound. For a moment, a tension filled silence hung in the air.

" What did you just say?" Eric's voice was low and cold; distant, almost. It was different to before; before he was open and warm, now he was the opposite.

" I-" I was about to speak but didn't know what to say. " Please just do my stitches..." Eric took a deep breath, before beginning my stitches in silence.

In a matter of around 10 minutes, both my wounds were stitched up and Eric was placing the medical box back in the cupboard. We'd both sat in silence the both time, and throughout it all I'd worried about what questions he was going to ask me about what I'd said.

" You're staying here tonight." It wasn't a choice but an order. This surprised me, as I'd believed that the first thing he would say to me would be a question about what I'd said.

I was in no mood to protest, and the last thing I wanted to do was sleep in the infirmary or in the dormitories. After last night, I didn't think I'd ever feel safe there again. Peter, Molly and Al were always going to be a threat to me now... " Okay," I replied.

" If you... If you ever need anything, then you know where to find me," Eric told me in a quieter voice, avoiding my eyes as he spoke. After washing his hands of the blood from my wounds, he shuffled through some draws in the left corner of the apartment.

" Okay."

" Is that all you're going to say? Okay?" Eric snapped, his anger rising for some reason. " Are you not going to question why I'm telling you this? Why I seemingly care?" I shook my head at him, a small frown forming on my face. " Good."

" You care... otherwise you wouldn't be doing this." My voice was sounding a little stronger, now that the images had receded in my mind. All of my concentration was focused on Eric - like he had ripped away all my thoughts of what they'd done. " You wouldn't have woken when I screamed for help when Peter grabbed me from behind, pinned me to a wall and threatened me... You wouldn't have come to me when Molly handed Peter and Al a knife and Peter cut me with it... You wouldn't have fought them away from me while I felt helpless and afraid... like the weak little girl I've always been."

Eric approached me again, his eyes wide and angered, his palms twitching. " Why were you out walking in the middle of the night?"

" I couldn't sleep... I just... I needed some fresh air..." I mumbled back, looking up into Eric's fury-filled eyes. His hands clenched into fists and he looked away from me, looking through the drawer again.

" Put this on. The bloods ruined your shirt." Eric ordered, throwing a black jumper to me. Before I could even answer, he turned away and walked into, what seemed to be, a bathroom. I watched with a frown as he left, then realised that he was giving me privacy to get changed. Before now, I hadn't realised the amount of blood that had actually seeped from the wound, but as I pulled my black tank top from over my head, I found that at least a quarter of it was now red.

It was just after I'd slowly pulled the warm, thick jumper over my head that I heard the smashing noise. The noise had come from in the bathroom and, without thinking, I bolted up from the bed and knocked, before entering the bathroom. Stepping inside, I gasped as I saw the scene in front of me; glass littered the ground around Eric, where he stood clutching the sink with his strong hands. It appeared that he'd smashed the large mirror in anger, as his knuckles were blood stained.

" Get away from me," Eric ordered in an authoritative tone, his face contorted with guilt, hurt and what looked to be fear. I was so use to see Eric looking strong and so unaffected by anything, that this caught me by surprise. Instead of listening, however, I took a step further into the bathroom.

" Why did you do that?" I questioned in a soft, angelic tone, hoping that his anger would fade.

" I said get away from me!" Eric's voice was louder this time and his smashed his hands against the sink, wincing in pain as he did. This time I didn't reply instantly and, instead, I approached him cautiously, gently pressing a hand against his right arm. A sigh escaped his lips at the feeling of my touch, and he seemed to relax slightly.

" Eric..." My voice was a mere whisper now. His head turned slightly as my voice, but still our eyes didn't meet; he kept his locked on the ground. " It's okay,"

" It should be me telling you that." Eric's jaw clenched and I felt the urge to move away from him again, sensing that the anger rose again. It didn't. So instead, I moved closer towards him, this time wrapping my hand around his arm. My instincts lead me to do this, right now my brain wasn't functioning properly. All I knew is that I had to help Eric, like he helped me.

" Now it's my turn to tell you. I'm okay... You're okay..." I whispered soothingly, willing for him to look at me. Instantly, it seemed like something snapped within him, and he swiftly turned to wrap his arms around me, pulling me close to his chest. A small smile formed on my lips as I buried my head into his warm, muscular chest, feeling the comfort I'd felt before. The feeling was strange and foreign, yet the most amazing feeling in the world.

" It's my fault... It's all my fault..." Eric mumbled, while lowering his head down and into my hair, inhaling deeply.

" What happened to me is my fault... Why are you blaming yourself?" I didn't bother pulling away. Instead, I wrapped my arms around his torso and gripped him tighter. What lead Eric towards showing me this affection, bewildered me. I couldn't begin to understand it. Then again, why was I showing him the affection back?

" I thought 3rd would be safe enough... The 1st ranked initiate at the end of stage 1 is always targeted by the others... 3rd was supposed to be safe." Eric growled, protectively gripping me tighter. I felt his hands clench into fists behind my waist. " It's not just that..."

" Then what is it, Eric?" This voice that I was using was unknown to me - the last time I'd used it was more than 6 years ago, when I use to speak to my mother.

" I could have stopped it... I could have saved _them_... I was weak..." Eric's voice was slowly hardening in anger. This time, I pulled away slightly as looked up at him. His arms were like an unbreakable lock around me, meaning that I only managed to move a few inches away from him. It was just enough to allow our eyes to lock on one another.

" Who, Eric? Who?" I frowned as I asked.

" Your mother." My eyes widened as he said this, and I knew we were back on the touchy topic. _He remembers. Eric remembers. _How? How long had he known? Why was he telling me now? Why? _He remembers. _" I could have saved her... I should have stopped my father... then maybe-"

" Stop... Stop..." I ordered, squeezing my eyes shut and pushing the memories away of my mother. I couldn't afford to be upset and weak right now. " You remember?"

" Who forgets something like that?" Eric snapped, anger flaring in his eyes. " My father made me watch death after death of every divergent rebel, in an attempt to harden me. He made me into who I am today. He made me like this!" I flinched slightly at the ferocity of his voice. Yet again, his eyes softened as he saw this and he took a deep breath to calm himself.

" There was nothing you could have done. What's done is done. You saved someone, that's all that matters. You saved me." Eric didn't reply to this. Only a frown formed on his face in response. " You sound like _him_ sometimes... when you're angry... like the time when you hung me over the chasm, or when I shouted at you when you were telling me that I wasn't a killer... It still scares me and I hate that... You're not the only one he's affected..."

Eric's frown deepened and hurt seemed to form in his eyes. " I don't want to sound like him... I don't want to be like him... I don't want to feel this guilt anymore!" His hands unwound themselves from around me as his anger rose again. Refraining from breaking something else, Eric swept both hands through his hair and clenched his jaw.

" Guilt?" I hated the fact that my voice was still no higher than a whisper.

" I didn't save them... any of them, only you. I could have saved more, but I didn't. I'm not supposed to feel guilty about it, but I do." Eric's voice was rough and stone cold. " I've been trained to spot divergents... to kill them. I have to... I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted to let you get hurt... I want to protect you..." Eric looked up at me, his voice sounding truly broken; his father had broken Eric from a young age. Eric's father had broken the part of a human that cares. " I don't know why... but I have to protect you."

" Eric..." I began, but he interrupted by storming up to me so we were inches away from each other again. For a second or two he just stared deeply into my eyes, grabbing my face between his hands.

" Just stop talking." He ordered, before smashing his lips against mine with an unforeseen passion, that sent a whirlwind of emotions through me; one's that I'd never experienced or ever thought to exist. For some inexplicable reason, this moment was beyond perfect.


	14. Chapter 14

Kiss and Tell

In his true character, I would have thought that Eric would have broken away quickly, then proceed to abruptly begin shouting at me for kissing him when it clearly wasn't my fault. However, to my greatest surprise, this didn't happen. Instead, we were immersed in our own little, thoughtless bubble, kissing hungrily and passionately, as if we had both been waiting to do this for a long time. I had never been kissed by a man before, meaning that Eric was my first ever. The feeling was immense and tingly, and it shocked through my body like electricity, making my whole body feel alive. Eric clearly seemed to know what he was doing, as his large hands softly held both my cheeks, while his muscular body pressed against mine firmly.

I was running off of pure instincts, before suddenly everything stopped. Before now, I hadn't noticed that I'd closed my eyes during the whole process and that Eric was now staring at me, his wide eyes filled with pure shock. " Rianna..." My name rolled off of his tongue smoothly.

" That was-" I began to speak in an angelic whisper, my helpless green eyes locked with his confused grey ones. From the expression on his face he seemed torn between different emotions.

" Don't. Just don't say anything." His tone wasn't forceful or dominant, but it had a clear finality to it, causing my mouth to lock shut. "What happened shouldn't-"

My face fell as he began to speak. Upon hearing this, the walls around my fragile heart, that had crumbled down while kissing Eric, suddenly shot back up within seconds. I felt myself instantly return to thinking how I did before; all feelings for Eric had snapped back into the tiny hole at the back of my mind. "It's my turn to tell you to stop. I know exactly what you're going to say, so just stop."

" I'm your Dauntless leader, if anyone-" Eric began to explain, as if he felt that he owed me an explanation. At least he had the decency to do this. However, anger was still growing within me since it was he who had initiated the kiss in the first place.

" Just stop, Eric!" I snapped. For a moment, Eric stared at me and didn't utter a word, while I distanced myself further away from him. This allowed me to think more clearly and not become muddled by the feelings radiating from the two of us. " Your career is important. You have a thirst for power. I wouldn't want to jeopardize that." My tone was laced with hints of sarcasm.

" I need you to understand-" Eric began, almost in a haste. In many ways he seemed flustered; unlike his usual composed self.

" Why, Eric? Why do you need me to understand? What is so important about a stupid kiss that, clearly, should never of happened?"

" I just..." Eric paused with a frown, seemingly thinking deeply for a moment. " It's just... Look I don't know, okay?"

" Good. Then I'll think I'll go back to my dorm." I instantly turned on my heels, heading towards the bathroom door. Obviously, I was not heading back to the dorms and nothing could make me go back there. The plan was just to walk around like before, not sleep a wink and hope for the best. The last thing I wanted was for Eric to see me as a weak amity again... He'd already seen too much of my weak side tonight.

" Where do you think you're going?" A snarl escaped Eric's lips as he gripped my wrist tightly, stopping me from moving any further. I cringed slightly at his grip; the strong grip reminded me of Peter pushing me against the wall earlier.

" Let go of me." My voice was becoming shaky and Eric noticed this. He did nothing but take a step closer to me, allowing his presence to affect me in strange ways like before. " I s-said let go."

" You and I both know that you're not going back there." Eric stated firmly, his eyes locking with my own again. I could feel the walls crumbling again and I tried my hardest to build them back up.

" Just let me go. You're just like everyone else, you don't care." I hated the fact that my voice was no higher than a whisper - weak, _vulnerable. _

Eric's expression softened again and his grip loosened on my wrist, while his other hands twitched at his side, as if he was going to move it to do something. " Just stay." The authority and angry edge to his tone had gone, the good Eric was back. " You'll be safe here."

I paused for a moment, looking down to the floor and staying silent. " I can look after myself," I grumbled angelically.

" Just stay." Eric's hand brushed the hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear. With a deep sigh, I looked up at him for a moment, before turning again and practically darting into the living room. What annoyed me most was the fact that Eric was being so indecisive about everything; one minute he showed some sort of affection towards me, the next he was cold and distant. It was like he had two minds battling against one another to show themselves and make the decisions.

" Where... where do I sleep?" I asked bluntly, sensing that Eric was stood close behind me, watching me carefully. This caused my heart to pound rapidly against my chest.

Eric scoffed. " In the bed, obviously."

" W-With you?" I frowned at my own voice, hearing the fear laced behind the quietness and vulnerability.

This answer seemed to leave Eric silent for a few moments, the only sound left around the room was my rapid breathing and his deep ones. " Just... Just don't ask stupid questions. Just stop talking and go to sleep."

Surprising him and myself, I followed Eric's orders and awkwardly climbed into the bed, pulling the covers over me. My eyes avoided Eric's as he watched me carefully, a deep frown set upon his face. Trying to keep my eyes off of Eric's, I snuggled my head down into the pillow and stared out the window, casting my eyes over the vast view of the beautiful city surrounding the Dauntless compound.

" Go to sleep. You need your rest, stage 2 starts in a few days and you will need your strength," Eric told me, leaning against the chest of draws while his eyes locked on me.

" I can't go to sleep while your stood there watching me like a hawk," I snapped in annoyance as his watchful eyes never left me, even after a few moments of silence.

Eric didn't reply and instead walked away from the bed and back into the living room, out of my view. Once he had disappeared, I finally had chance to relax. I figured that he'd silently decided to sleep on the couch, meaning that I wouldn't be seeing him until morning, where there would be yet another awkward or tension filled encounter.

As I buried myself into the bed and tried to rid the horrific thoughts from my mind, I found myself seeking comfort from the mere smell of the bed; it smelt like _him._ I felt idiotic and foolish from being comforted by this, but it reminded me of him - of his protective side, the good side of him. Around Eric I had always felt safe. Right now, that's what I needed to drift of to sleep... To drift off into a dreamless sleep...

**Third Person P.O.V**

A few hours passed and the time reached 4:00am. Because of the nearing winter, it was not yet light outside, thus Eric still felt obliged to stay where he lay. For the first hour, Eric had tried his hardest to fall asleep on the sofa, knowing that if he didn't sleep, he wouldn't be awake enough to bother listening to another meeting with Jeannine Matthews, the next day. However, this plan had soon failed miserably, as though he tried to keep his wandering thoughts away from _her, _it wasn't physically possible for him to do so. The more he thought about her, the more he worried, the more he saw the image of her lying there on the floor, vulnerable and weak, while blood spilled from her cheek and neck, staining her soft olive skin. Anger only rose as he saw these images, making him wish that he'd damaged Peter, Drew, Al and Molly a lot more than he had done.

During the second hour, he paced around the living room, debating over whether he should just sleep in his own bed; where he could see perfectly clearly that she was safe and healed, and that there was no need to worry. It frustrated and confused Eric why he constantly worried over her safety. Never before had he ever worried about anyone other than himself, so why is she anything different from the rest of the female population? His mind had instantly answered that question; strong-willed, brave, passionate, attractive and she was a definite fighter. But why was he feeling this way towards this girl who he'd stupidly saved when his father had wanted to kill her. She was no different from the rest that he had watched die. It was very likely that she was a divergent too, just like her mother, and would soon need to be eliminated. This very thought had troubled him for a while. The mere thought of having to eliminate _her _sent immediate protesting thoughts through his brain. In fact, it had been proved tonight that he wasn't able to not protect her - upon hearing her scream, he had darted from his apartment without a seconds thought. All that he had been thinking throughout while he was saving her, was that he needed to protect her and that he wasn't going to let anyone hurt her again. Was it time to finally accept these thoughts that had been whirling through his mind for god knows how long? Or should he just reject them like he had tried so hard to do...

By the third hour, his cold stoned heart had won it's way round his brain, and he found himself laying on the opposite side of the bed to where she was sleeping. As soon as he had laid down by here side, the strange tingly feeling that he got around her had erupted through his body again, confusing him. Thoughts of protest bubbled through his mind, but his worrying eased as he heard her heavy breathing and saw her motionless, healthy figure. Sleep seemed a little more possible now - now that he was no longer on edge about the incident. Only now, thoughts of the kiss they had shared were bubbling through his mind.

That kiss had not been Eric's first; he'd been with a few other girls before, nobody special, as all he had been with them for was for the experience. However, this was the first kiss that Eric had actually felt something real, something wild and confusing, like he was plunging into the unknown. It had felt amazing. But upon realising what he was doing, the thousands of protesting reasons had made him realize what a mistake it was to kiss her. Seeing that look of hurt flash across her face after he'd told her this, though, had caused his mind to debate yet again. He didn't like seeing her hurt - he didn't like seeing that he'd hurt her. The need for her was growing, fast and dangerously, which Eric couldn't even begin to understand. He didn't know how long it would be before he finally gave up, and let her overpower him. The strength needed to hold himself away from her was beginning to exhaust him... Why should he bother anymore when that kiss had felt so surreal and right?

A whimper interrupted his thoughts. While debating deeply over the situation he was in, Eric hadn't realized that his eyes were closed and that he was drifting off to sleep. The sound that he instantly recognized to be coming from Rianna, snapped him awake and he frowned as he saw her shaking form. At first, he panicked, thinking that there may have been more injuries than he'd seen and that she would need even more medical treatment. Just as he was about to check over her shaking body, she spoke again.

" Mom... Mommy... Don't kill her... Please..." The cries escaped her lips causing Eric's chest to clench, sending a whirlwind of guilt through him. Yet again, thoughts of how he could have saved Rianna's mother plagued his mind.

" Rianna... wake up." Eric tried to be authoritative and sound normal, but the softness of his tone was clearly audible. He had said it loudly enough, but Rianna still shook and whimpered in her sleep. Placing a hand on her arm, Eric tried to lightly shake her awake.

" No..." As soon as Rianna whispered this, she grabbed Eric's hand. At first, Eric thought that she was awake and was trying to push him off of her, but he soon realised that this wasn't the case - she was seeking a source of comfort. Her grip on his hand was strong and he could now feel her body shaking. The closeness between the two was enlightening for Eric; that strange spark of electricity was running through him yet again.

" Shh... it's okay." These words were foreign to him, he'd never said such words to anybody in his life. Comforting someone was a completely new concept. But the way Rianna instinctively moved closer to him after he spoke these words, as if he was the only thing that could make her feel safe and happy again, only convinced him to want to comfort her even more. Without another thought, he wrapped his other arm around her body, breathing a sigh of relief as her pleas for help receded.

This girl had power over him... A power unknown to him. A power that could prove dangerous or a power that could heal him. All Eric had to do now, was decide whether he wanted to accept this power, or reject it.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Threatened**_

I didn't know what it was that woke me up. It could have been one of three things; the pain from my wounds, the light shining directly from the window onto my eyes or the raised voices that were close. At first I was confused to where I was, but it wasn't long before the memories of the night before flooded my mind, reminding me how complicated my life had now become. Sitting up in the bed, I rubbed my eyes and brushed my hand across the jagged wounds on my cheek and neck. The adrenaline from last night had all but gone, meaning that I could feel all of the pain now. However, pain medication would help, so this was the least of my problems...

" She's missing. Nobody's admitted to doing it, but it's a possibility that it was her," It took a few moments to recognize who was speaking, but I soon realized that it was Four. A frown formed on my face as he realised he was here to talk to Eric about me... But what was I being accused of?

" So you decided to disturb me early in the morning to preach your problems. I don't care, Four. This has happened every year. So what? There is a weak amity missing, not much of a loss. As for Edward, he was always going to be attacked, it's a shame he couldn't defend himself better. End of story," Eric snarled in annoyance, obviously displeased to have Four in his apartment. There had always been this lingering tension between Four and Eric, it had always confused me. I didn't have the nerve to ask Eric about it, though, as I knew it was a touchy subject.

" Don't pretend that you don't even know Rianna. I'm not blind, Eric, I've seen you training her, paying more attention to her than the others. I want to know where she is so that I know my initiates are ready for stage two. We all know the difficulty of stage 2, you especially. We all know how that stage turned out during your training," I could practically sense the anger radiating from Eric after Four had said this.

" I am a Dauntless Leader, _you _are the instructor. Deal with your own problems and get the hell out of my apartment! None of the initiates mean anything to me, they're all pathetic and useless, and you're not doing anything about that. Now get out!" Eric voice raised much louder this time, and silence over took the conversation. What hurt me, though, was that I couldn't decide whether what Eric had just shouted was true. Did I really not mean anything to him? Surely he wouldn't have saved me if he truly thought this... Why did everything have to be so complicated with him!?

After hearing the door close, I climbed out of the covers and sat on the bed. I heard Eric's loud footsteps and his angered sighs as he stomped into the bedroom which I was in, slamming the door shut behind him.

" Morning..." I greeted him cautiously, narrowing my eyes at him as he paced the room a little. However, before long, he stopped and turned to me, the anger in his expression melting away.

" Did you hear all of that?" Eric asked. I sighed internally as I realized Eric was now back to his usual self; the Dauntless leader version of him, the power hungry one.

I nodded in response.

" Then you'll know that you need to get to breakfast before they send a search party out," Eric ordered quite formally, avoiding looking into her eyes.

" That was polite of you. I expected you to scream at me to get out like you did to Four,"

Eric's eyes narrowed in anger and he shook his head." Four had no business being here. Now you need to be quick, it's visiting day today."

" And you think someone's actually going to turn up to visit me? Well, it's a toss up between my dead mother and lunatic father, who hasn't left his house in 6 years. I wonder who it might be... We may be having a visit from the supernatural today!" I said sarcastically, frowning at Eric in annoyance and standing up from the bed, grabbing my old, blood stained clothes from the floor.

" Just shut up, Rianna, and leave before breakfast finishes." Eric ordered authoritatively.

" There it is, you finally snapped." I let out a sarcastic chuckle. Eric looked oddly confused and slightly hurt, when he opened his mouth to speak again, I quickly interrupted him," Don't worry, I'm leaving now. I won't tell anyone what happened last night, it will all be forgotten."

" Rianna..." Eric groaned, following me as I headed into the living room and towards the front door.

" Just stop, Eric. There is nothing that you can say that will make this any better. You haven't changed your opinion on last night, I know that. The only thing you can do is just leave me alone and let me forget. I am scared out of my mind, since I don't know whether Peter or Al or Drew or Molly will decide to try and kill me again sometime soon. I have enough to worry about. So let's just forget the kiss happened and go back to normal. Please, just leave me alone." And with that, I left without giving Eric a chance to say anything in return.

* * *

" Rianna, you're back!" A smile formed on my face at the merry greeting from Christina, who was sat with Will and Tris. Until now, fear had been bubbling within me, as I had thought that I might bump into Peter, Molly or Al during my journey down to the dining hall. Luckily, I'd seen no sign of them so far, but it worried me that the only time I had felt safe was with Eric... I couldn't rely on him like that; he wasn't reliable enough for me too.

" Hey guys," I greeted them casually, planting my food tray on the table and taking a seat beside Tris. For some reason, Will looked a little wary of me and narrowed his eyes as he studied me carefully.

" Where were you last night?" Will questioned, sounding seemingly suspicious. My smile faltered at the question and I looked down at my food.

" More importantly, what happened to your face and neck?" Christina frowned as she saw the stitched up wounds.

" Isn't it obvious?" Will muttered under his breath.

A frown formed on my face as I heard this and I could practically feel the rising tension between the two of us. It was plainly obvious that he believed that I had done whatever the hell happened to Edward. " Go on, Will, say it. Don't be shy," I snapped in an angered tone.

" What's going on?" Tris asked, oblivious to the conversation. This pleased me as it showed that she didn't believe the same as Will; at least one of my friends was on my side.

" I don't want to be right, Rianna," Will stated. His eyes seemed a little sorrowful as he avoided my eyes, playing around with the little food he had left on his plate.

" You think she did it?" Tris seemed bewildered by what Will was implying.

" It would explain the cuts," Will still didn't look up as he spoke his suspicions. I could feel the anger and hurt rising within me.

" What happened last night, Rianna?" Christina asked more sympathetically.

" Why should I tell you when you obviously all think that I had something to do with whatever happened to Edward!" I finally snapped, releasing the anger that had built up within me.

" Rianna, look at the facts..." Will began to try and reason with me but I stood up from the bench and grabbed my plate. A few heads turned to us to see what was happening, but I quickly ignored them, containing my anger to the people who were accusing me.

" Stop being such a bloody Erudite! If you belonged there in the first place, then you would have noticed the _fact _that neither Peter, Molly or Al are in the dining hall this morning, they're missing too!" My voice was low enough to not attract much attention but loud enough to project my annoyance with Will. " Surely they taught you better in Erudite; never conclude your facts until you have as much information as you can gather." And with that, I stormed away from the table and sat at the nearest emptiest one, alone.

Christina, Will and Tris were smart enough not to come after me, since they knew I would just snap at them again. However, I wasn't alone for long, as soon a soft hand touched my shoulder, and the figure enthusiastically sat beside me, a large smile upon their face.

" And how is my most favourite initiate transfer?" _Blake. _It felt like a lifetime since I'd been in the presence of his radiating happiness, that automatically made people smile, yet in reality it had only been a day.

" In a sour mood, so don't push me," A small smile played on my lips as I looked up at him. Some of my anger seemed to melt away at his presence.

" What happened to your face?" Blake asked, sounding concerned. " Who do I need to kill for hurting you?" His voice was teasing, but the mere words reminded me of Eric last night. _Stop thinking about him. _

" I took care of them myself, thanks. They were just a bunch of idiots who decided to attack me in the middle of the night, they won't come near me again," I hadn't actually seen the damage that Eric had done to Peter, Molly and Al, but I didn't imagine that he let them off lightly.

" They attacked that other guy too, right? What was his name, Edward? The one with a knife in his eye?"

A gasp of horror left my lips. _That's what they'd done to him!? Will believed that I'd done that!?_" A knife!?"

" Didn't you know?" Blake seemed a little confused.

" I... I didn't even go back to the dorms last night... I didn't know they'd... Oh my god..." The fear was coming back. If Peter was heartless enough to stick a knife in someone's eye, then there was no doubt that he would try to kill me again if he wanted to...

" Anyway, let's get off of this very morbid subject, it's depressing me," Blake suggested and instantly struck up a conversation about a completely random topic. Though the conversation was fun and cheered me up a little, it didn't steal my mind away from the fear and worry that had built up within me again. I was now beginning to feel like I'd never be able to be within a few meters of Peter without fearing my life. This only proved that I was still that weak amity I'd always been, however. _Weak. Weak. Weak. _

At the end of breakfast, Blake had to leave to go back home to his parents, so I was again left alone. I quickly managed to finish all my food as I didn't want to be in the dining hall alone any longer. As I placed the remainders of my meal in the bin, my eyes locked with Eric's, who was sat across the room with the Dauntless leader, Max. His steel grey eyes seemed to project nothing but emptiness, but he didn't turn away, and instead, his eyes moved to something behind me. I frowned as I spotted his fist clench in anger.

" Well, well, well, look who it is." I felt myself jump slightly at the proximity of the familiar voice. As soon as I recognised who the voice actually belonged to, memories flooded my mind of a past conversation I'd had with Eric.

" Carl," My voice sounded stiff and unnatural. This was mostly down to the fact that I know knew what Carl was capable of; he'd killed his own girlfriend. Even if her fall was by accident, the fact that he left her there was unforgivable.

" Long time no see, amity. Carl sounded cheerful, just like he always did.

" Um, yeah. Look I really have to go, no time to talk," I didn't look up at him and instead moved to walk away. However, I'd only moved a single step before he grabbed my arm, holding me back.

" What's wrong?" Carl frowned. I was no forced to look up at him and meet his eyes. The strong grip he had on my arm only reminded me more of Peter last night, causing fear to rise within me again. _Weak. Weak. Weak. _

" I just really need to go," I told Carl, my face remaining impassive.

Carl paused for a moment, searching my eyes. " You know," He stated, his tone taking a darker turn.

" Know what?" I faked the bewildered tone, but Carl didn't seem to fall for it.

" Don't act like you don't, because I know you do Adrianna." The sound of my full name felt foreign, but I didn't let it swerve me away from hiding the fact that I knew.

" What are you talking about, Carl?" I questioned, sounding confused.

" See, if you didn't know, you would have been sarcastic or funny by now. Yet, you only seem confused. You're a horrible liar," Carl stated, his head tilting to the side a little as he studied my expression. "They told you what happened to her. They told you what they think I did!" Carl's grip tightened on my arm, causing me to wince slightly. _Weak. Weak. Weak. _

I paused, knowing that there was no way I could convince Carl. " Fine. I know. Now let me go," I ordered in a more vicious tone than I'd intended.

Carl rolled his eyes." And now you believe I'm a cold hearted murderer."

" Well I wouldn't quite put it like that-" I began.

" Take a walk with me." Carl interrupted, looking around in a slightly frantic manner.

A frown formed on my face. " I already told you, I need to go." Going somewhere with Carl alone was not the best idea. I no longer trusted him anymore.

" Cut the crap, Rianna. You have a week's break, how could you possibly be busy?" Carl snapped.

A deep sigh left my lips and my eyes, again, wandered over to Eric, who was now watching me like a hawk. Max had left, meaning that Eric was the only one left at the table and his hands were still clenched in fists, while his grey eyes blazed with accusation and slight anger.

Carl seemed to notice that I was no longer paying attention to him, so he spoke again. " Look, you've heard one side of the story. At least give me a chance to explain what actually happened,"

" So you're saying you didn't leave her to die?" There were very few people left in the dining hall now, which worried me a little. However, it still kept on my strong facade.

" I didn't even hit her in the first place! Do you really believe I'd do something like that!?" Carl snapped, his tone rising now. His grip tightened yet again and I tried to hide the wince, but he didn't seem to notice the slight pain he was causing me. I could feel the bruises from yesterday night being punctured again.

" I don't know what to believe! I hardly know you! You saved my life, that doesn't mean you'd do the same for somebody else! What am I supposed to believe when you've been found guilty?" I hissed, making sure not to alert the few others around. Though, Eric's eyes were still on us.

" You of all people should understand why she was killed! Why can't you just believe that I didn't do it!" Carl's voice raised even louder and his other hand now gripped my free arm. " I didn't fucking do it!" The few heads that were left turned to see what was going on as Carl began to shake me, as if trying to shake some sense into me.

" Let go of me!" I ordered forcefully, hiding the pain I felt and trying to pull myself away from Carl's grip. The fact that I hadn't believed him, seemed to have made him delusional and a frantic, almost animalistic side had taken over him. He really was crazy after all...

" Not until you believe me!" Carl's face was now glowing red with anger and I frowned as I spotted a few small tears forming in his light blue, demented eyes.

" Hey!" I almost sighed in relief as I heard Eric. There was no way that I could manage to break away from Carl's strong grip as he'd had the upper hand since the beginning. There was a vast difference between my strength and Carl's, meaning that there was no possible chance that I could escape on my own. " Take your hands off of her."

" I didn't do it!" Carl continued to shout. Usually, by now, I would have at least attempted to kick my way free, but I knew fighting was prohibited outside of training, and I didn't want to ruin my chances of becoming part of Dauntless.

It bewildered me, the amount of anger and ferocity that seemed to blaze in Eric's eyes as he ripped Carl's arm's away from me, stepping in front of me before Carl could do any more damage. Once Eric had succeeded in putting a barrier between me and Carl, he stood tall and menacingly in front of him, glaring hatefully.

" Leave before I have you arrested. Two strikes is enough to make you factionless." The authoritativeness had returned to Eric's tone, and though the anger was still there, it was held back for the sake of his career and thirst for power. Yet again, I was coming in the way of that.

Carl seemed to come back to his sense a little as Eric said this. Though Carl tried meeting my eyes to try and convince me yet again, Eric made sure that he blocked me away from Carl's eye sight. An angered sigh soon left Carl's lips, while his body continued shaking in a crazed way." Rianna, she's dead for a reason you know about, don't let it be you next."

At first, my mind took this to believe that Carl was warning me away from him, and that he'd kill me next if I didn't follow his orders. This sent a strange sense of survival fear through me. But Carl's words didn't seem to add up. In fact, he made it sound like he didn't want me dead. But what could his words actually mean? And why did I know the reason why she was dead?

Eric seemed to understand it the way I had done at first, meaning I could very literally feel the fury radiating from him. " If I so much as see you within a meter of her again, you'll be spending the rest of your life living among the factionless, or I might even just kill you myself."


End file.
